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In other business (besides lengthy discussions about the future of cannabis shops in town, )  the Taylors Falls City Council:

~ Did not vote on a proposal to declare a downtown commercial lot open space/ park.  

The city purchased the site over 10 years ago and Chisago County HRA/EDA made a zero interest loan to the city to also facilitate getting the lot prepped for development and to coordinate with the state on a new home for MN Dept. of Transportation’s maintenance facility,  from this site, to up the hill next to city hall.

Taylors Falls Council heard Monday night it has to pay-off the loan if the lot no longer is marketed for a taxpaying venture.  Nancy Hoffman, County HRA/EDA Executive Director told council the contract with the county was for development, not for parkland, and Chisago County would have no legal alternative but to call-in the balance of an estimated $140,000.  The city has been paying $5,000 annually to service the county loan.

Council member Tim Grote suggested it’s not costing the city any interest to keep the parcel.  He said this issue needs to go back to where it should have started;  with the economic development commission and the parks and rec committee to have advisory input.  

Mayor Weiberg added he’d like more details on the contract with the county, and he and all the council agreed to postpone action on the lot until next month.

~ Council voted 3-2 to change a vendor payment to reportedly avoid submitting Dept. of Revenue paperwork.  The payment to Junk Park— a kiddie creative activity hired for Wannigan Days — was approved in an earlier meeting for $600.  

Council members Larry Julik Heine and Tim Grote opposed the motion reducing payment to $599, stating preference that  the payee should actually submit the request.

What led to this is the Mayor put the payment change on the agenda, after he took a call from Council member Troy Aanonsen’s wife, Geri, asking if this could be reduced to less than $600. At $599 Junk Park avoids  having to file certain income  forms.  

Council member Grote asked why a business would be at all hesitant to provide  tax information.  He was uncomfortable with the fact that the actual Junk Park owner (Council member Aanonsen’s step daughter) is not involved in this.  Grote said, “standard operating procedure” should include getting W-9 forms from everybody who gets money from the city and whatever other forms the law calls for. This is all part of making the city’s files “whole” after years of lacking specific protocols, he continued.  This is not casting aspersions on Junk Park and the city is not singling out Junk Park, and certain documentation from all payees is just “best practices.”

* The following day Wannigan Days organizer Lynn Longnecker informed the Press there was communication via e mail overnight and  Junk Park  pulled out. Other child activities will go on.

~ Council member Lee Samuelson reported he may have located a lift station module the city needs to replace, from a supplier in Canada and this could save money.

~ A special closed session is being held to review a personnel matter, Thursday (today) at 8:30 a.m. 

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