Chair Johnson?

Here.

Six are present.

Zero or one is absent, that being Commissioner Bowie.

Item number one for discussion is resolution twenty-six-eight eight three.

Resolution approving and authorizing the execution of a master legal service agreement with Barnes and Thornburg LLP citywide.

All right.

Seeing none, I'll take a motion from Commissioner Bowie to approve all those in favor.

Seven in favor, zero opposed to resolution is adopted.

Item number two, resolution twenty six-eight eight nine.

Resolution of the housing and redevelopment authority, HRA of the City of St.

Paul exercising the HRA's authority to opt in to and support the Ramsey County Economic Development Authority EVA.

All right.

So over the course, we had different bodies listen to different presentations.

So this is very much a continuation both for the City Council and the St.

Paul HRA.

We have to approve either to opt in to the uh the Ramsey County Economic Development Authority.

We received a presentation in our policy committee.

Um earlier this month, I believe, and we were able to ask any questions.

However, in addition to that, I'm gonna actually welcome up Mr.

Olson at this time.

Um, I want to bring folks' attention to the resolution.

One of the pieces that we um that council leadership as well as the HRA leadership piece have talked about is just wanting to ensure that this body has the ability to approve the spending plan that is implemented for the St.

Paul um portion of the EDA.

So there's a line that is a be it resolved clause that talks through that need for approval.

Because we were all um in back-to-back uh council business meetings that today, we actually just received a um email around 137 today around some of the concerns.

So I'm actually inviting Mr.

Olsen to come and articulate that to this body because there's been several different off conversations, but it's a little confusing to us as to what the actual concerns from the county are related to a one-sentence be it resolved clause regarding the spending plan approval.

And so just wanted to bring you forward to just kind of share what questions you might have.

Welcome, Mr.

Olsen.

Yeah, thank you, Councilmember or Commissioner Chair.

Um I I think we sent a message today um to uh a couple of you just asking for a delay in this piece, and part of that reason was is um we have been asking all of the jurisdictions across Ramsey County for resolutions of support or opting in.

Um, and so the the resolution that um was put forth in your packet is different than what the rest of the the cities across the county have approved, um including 15.

And so we just wanted to take a pause and and just reflect and understand how that deviates and changes um the others just so that we have consistency.

That was our key goal that we wanted to establish across the board as we're going through this process where we're getting um in this case 18 or requesting 18 resolutions of support from every single um city.

So um the message that was just sent today because we we hadn't seen the the language um prior to today was just a request.

Um we did um outline uh a particular uh period of time uh for approval, June 1st is what we had outlined in a memo to you all.

Um I would just say that we built in a short buffer in that process um just strategically, knowing that some councils may take things up or it may not line with their calendars.

So our plan um at the county level is to take up uh the area of operation on June 15th.

So this just or I think that's June 15th, yeah.

Um, or June 16th, excuse me.

Let me correct my words already.

June 16th, which is Tuesday, June 16th.

So pri just making sure that this resolution um happens prior to that is what we're kind of um going towards.

So um, yes, we uh identified a a um a deadline.

Um that was just to hopefully get everyone to align to those dates.

Thank you, Mr.

Olson.

And just to provide some context, so we did receive the resolution draft from Ramsey County.

We also, um, as in the HRA and the uh council leadership, we went through the process of also having our city attorneys review the language that was presented, but we also added in a be it resolved clause for approval of uh the city's portion of the spending plan and also just to bring it back to this body to approve the final what the plan will be to invest the economic development dollars here in the city of St.

Paul.

Are there concerns regarding that request?

Um, I don't know if it's necessarily that I think we're very committed to collaboration on how we come to agreement and how the the HRA dollars or the EDA dollars and the programming that comes from those is kind of established.

I think what we're we're sensitive in this moment is acknowledging that we have resolutions now that are different across jurisdictions and wanting to make sure that we have that correct before we go to the board.

So realizing you had it on your agenda for today, don't want to, you know, I know it's a further delay, but I think it's appropriate given that we just want to make sure that the resolutions are um uh approved and that we can kind of move forward, and so when the board approves the area of operation um later in June, that we're fully vested and everything is right.

Um, so we don't run into further delays or challenges as we get towards an implementation schedule that starts next year.

Okay, I see um Vice Chair Josephan as well.

Um, and I will also see a council president.

One thing I will share with you, and also to my colleagues, we rushed really heavily to get this item on the agenda for to meet your June 1st deadline.