The International Falls City Council will seek letters of interest from residents willing to serve on a board that would advise the city’s Economic Development Authority.
Councilor Gail Rognerud, who serves as the EDA president, Monday recalled the establishment of the EDA in 2007 as the city prepared to construct and lease to the federal government the Voyageurs National Park headquarters on Highway 11 East. The EDA Board is made up of councilors.
Councilor Paul Eklund noted that the EDA was established to make use of financing tools only available under law to the city through an EDA.
In 2008, said Rognerud, recommendations were given to the council by a steering committee, made up of local business owners and others involved in business and finance, which included hiring of a director and establishing an advisory board.
Rognerud said creating the EDA director position was done after the city and Koochiching County stopped providing $50,000 each annually to the operations of the Koochiching Economic Development Authority, made up of representatives of the cities and the county board as well as other residents.
The next step, Rognerud said, is to follow through on other recommendations of the steering committee, including establishing an advisory board.
“I’d like to see the leaders of tomorrow step up,” she said of the make up of the advisory board.
Shawn Mason, director of economic and community development, told the council later in the meeting that she appreciated its movement to create an advisory board to which she could report.
Mayor Tim “Chopper” McBride, former EDA president, said the EDA Board could drop back as policy makers allowing the advisory board to work with the director and make recommendations to the EDA.
He said he’d like to see the KEDA also create an advisory board.
Eklund said he believes the EDA must continue to work with the KEDA. Rognerud agreed, saying there is a role for the KEDA in economic development.
“The more feet on the ground for economic development, the better we will do as a whole community,” said Rognerud.
In other business Monday, the council appointed Jerry Franzen to fill out until January the at-large council term left vacant when McBride was appointed mayor with Mason’s resignation from the position.
Franzen took the oath of office Monday from city Administrator Rod Otterness.
McBride noted that it’s not often that a “member of the fifth estate” becomes a politician. Franzen has served as news and program director for the local radio station since 1981. He has also served on several community boards and committees.
Franzen, along with Pete Kalar and Timothy Wegner, submitted letters of interest for the at-large position. Kalar, who along with Willi Kostiuk, has filed for the at-large position to be decided in the November election. Councilors said they did not choose Kalar to avoid the perception of an endorsement.
The council said any of the candidates would do a good job and urged them to consider seeking council positions in the future when they become available.
In related business, the council appointed Eklund to serve as mayor pro-tem when the mayor is unavailable.
The council agreed to seek from the Koochiching County Board a joint orderly annexation agreement to bring into the city limits about 54 acres of property proposed for development of a warehouse project off County Highway 15 .
Of the 77.2 acres the city is expected to purchase from Boise Inc. for the project, 23.9 acres are within the city limits.
Mason said the city is investing nearly $1 million, including a $657,000 state grant, into infrastructure at the site for the project.
“It behooves us to annex the remaining acres,” said Mason, noting she’d discussed the proposal with Ranier and county officials.
The council accepted a recommendation from its Human Resources Committee to approve a 2 percent salary increase, retroactive to January, for non-contract employees. It also approved a salary increase for the position of street commissioner.
Councilors noted that when Dennis Jonson was hired as street commissioner, the council agreed that, based on results of a six-month evaluation, Jonson would be eligible for an increase. Otterness noted that administration believes Jonson has done a great job in the six-month period.
