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<br /> <br />City Council Minutes <br />July 1, 2024 <br />--------- <br />Page 5 of 8 <br /> 9.1 Council Liaison Updates <br /> The Council provided updates as outlined in the respective advisory board's minutes. <br /> <br />10. MOTION TO ADJOURN REGULAR MEETING <br /> Moved by Councilmember Beyer and seconded by Councilmember Wagner to adjourn <br />the meeting of City Council. Motion Carried 5-0. <br /> <br />The regular meeting adjourned at 7:22 p.m. <br /> <br />11. WORK SESSION – UPPER TOWN CONFERENCE ROOM <br /> <br />The work session meeting convened at 7:27 p.m. <br /> <br /> 11.1 FT Center Ice, Turf, and Room Rates <br /> Ice Rates <br /> <br />Mr. Stremcha presented the report. <br /> <br />Councilmember Beyer brought up the following items: <br />1. Are the comparable communities all city-owned properties? Mr. Stremcha stated yes. <br />2. Expressed concerns about the additional $10,000 increase in fees for the figure skating club. <br />Councilmember Westgaard explained that the club received a reduced rate after the pandemic <br />to help them get their membership levels back to pre-pandemic levels. <br />3. Are the roles and duties of the multipurpose facility going to be discussed? Mr. Portner noted <br />the discussion was scheduled for the next City Council meeting. <br />4. Expressed concerns about not having the history of how the current rates were determined, <br />which makes it difficult to decide on rates. <br />5. Elk River Youth Hockey buys much more ice, and they pay more than the other users. <br /> <br />Councilmember Wagner stated this is why the rate discussion is being brought to the Council level, <br />noting it is good to have fresh eyes because the facility needs to break even. She provided a history of <br />the differing contract negotiations which has led to user groups feeling slighted. She felt it was good to <br />look at this without background information to call out concerns, be neutral, and question the <br />processes. <br /> <br />Councilmember Beyer stated he is not ready to make any decisions tonight because he needs more <br />time to evaluate the rates and get input from the Multipurpose Facility Commission. Mayor Dietz stated <br />the Council took away the Commission's authority to provide input on the rates based on the city <br />attorney's opinion. Councilmember Westgaard noted discussion is needed about the role of the <br />commission when the city attorney is available. Mr. Portner informed the Council that the high school <br />sets their levy in August and youth hockey sets their budget in September, so both groups will need to <br />know the rates soon. <br /> <br />Councilmember Westgaard asked why the rates need to be so complex. He asked that the amount of <br />revenue needed be divided by the ice hours purchased to set the rate for prime, non-prime, and school.