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City Council Minutes Page 2 <br /> May 30,2018 <br /> ----------------------------- <br /> Comments received from members: <br /> ■ The LOST is a no-brainer and is the fairest way for everyone to pay for facilities. <br /> He stated he was impressed to see 45% of the tax revenue would be from outside <br /> of Elk River. He stated this option should be an easy sell to "any normal Joe." <br /> ■ We are only willing to pay for Mr.Williams plan if the LOST passes. <br /> ■ The city has a lot to offer and people love coming to Elk River. People love the <br /> location and its offerings for food,restaurants,and gas convenience. <br /> ■ Sherburne County has the lowest sales tax in the metro area and people won't <br /> notice the difference with an increase. <br /> Mayor Dietz noted Sherburne County is also considering a sale tax which may create a <br /> slightly higher tax compared to surrounding communities but he still felt the LOST <br /> was a better option. He further stated he doesn't agree 100%with Mr.Williams <br /> proposed plan. He stated the approved plan has to encompass more than an arena and <br /> believes other amenities need to be included to appeal to a broader audience. <br /> Councilmember Wagner stated she doesn't agree completely with Mr. Williams plan. <br /> She stated this is an opportunity to effect a larger city population. She stated she would <br /> Eke to see trail connections completed. Councilmember Wagner stated Council still <br /> needs to have a discussion about the location of the facility,its economic impact and <br /> the build out that could occur around it, such as commercial, etc. <br /> Councilmember Westgaard stated the Council has always intended to address the <br /> multiple needs of the community. He stated the three facilities (Lions Park Center, <br /> Activity Center,and Ice Arena) were never programmed into the city budget for <br /> planning and maintenance purposes and needed to be a priority. He stated he likes the <br /> LOST option and its specifity requirements. He stated Council needs to develop other <br /> amenities that will appeal to a wider audience. He further commented an ice arena is <br /> expensive to own and operate but feels it is an asset to a community. He noted <br /> Council has been discussing much needed repairs to the arena for 12 years. He stated <br /> Council needs to discuss what Plan B will be if there is a referendum failure. <br /> Councilmember Olsen questioned what should be done with Lions Park Center and <br /> mentioned the opportunity for girls' softball to use the park for fields. <br /> A youth sports commission member stated he would like to see a turf facility noting <br /> other communities are installing them. He stated there is very little maintenance with <br /> turf noting snow is easily removable for use sometimes starting in February. He stated <br /> teams will use it and revenue can be generated from them. <br /> Mr. Williams noted it is in the Parks and Recreation Master Plan at another site. He <br /> noted turf fields only have a 10-year useful life span so the return on investment for <br /> the initial cost may be a factor to consider. <br /> Councilmember Wagner stated in order to get buy in from the lacrosse group she <br /> wants to make sure there is a multi-surface/use in order to sell it. <br /> P U w E H l U 9 Y <br /> 4MUR E <br />