The Crookston Housing & Economic Development Authority (CHEDA) Board met today inside Valley Technology Park (VTP). The meeting was a makeup for the one postponed on December 21 due to weather.
All Consent Agenda Items were approved unanimously by the board. The items on the Consent Agenda were as follows.
- EDA Financials
- Crookston Job Loan Status and Financials
- Community Investment Financials
- B3 Grants and Financials
- The Prairie Skyline Project
- Epitome Energy Financials
- Revolving Loan Status and Financials
- Oak Court Public Housing Financials
- Housing Choice Voucher Financials
- Workforce Housing Financials
- Rehab Housing Loan Status and Financials
- All CHEDA bills payable
- Valley Technology Park Financials
- Valley Technology Park Building Occupancy
- Valley Technology Park Expanded Business Incubation
OLD BUSINESS
The board then heard a Colborn Property Infrastructure Update and POHP Plumbing Project Update. There was no update on the Colborn project, but Theresa Tahran informed the board that the POHP Plumbing project is now complete.
There was then a brief discussion from the board on the Lead the Way Training that each board member was supposed to complete. Some board members still need to complete their Lead the Way Training at this time.
Another item the board discussed was an update on the Epitome Energy project. CHEDA Executive Director Robert Barnes provided what the update was. “The project is coming forward, and we’re starting to see site plans and preliminary numbers on their utility demands and other things,” said Barnes. “We’re still waiting on some permits from them and other things, but the project continues to move forward, and we’re starting to look at what some of the responsibilities might be for the city.”
There was then an update on the 1603 Hoven Lane project. Tahran informed the board the down payment has been received, and the hope is that the project is completed sometime in February or March.
MAIN AGENDA
The Main Agenda began with a consideration to change the Personnel Policy. Barnes discussed what changes would take place if approved. “The policy, in my opinion, is a little restrictive to our employees,” said Barnes. “The amount of vacation time that can be carried over year to year does not align with the City of Crookston’s. There is a very close relationship between CHEDA and the city, and we wanted to get our employees on a policy that mirrors the city’s policy. The city allows its employees to carry over 150% of their leave time into the next year, and that is far more than what CHEDA has. This will give our employees the chance to use their time the way they need to without fear of losing it at the end of the year.”
The board approved the changes unanimously. The next item on the agenda was a B3 recommendation for NT Auto. The B3 program helps local businesses in Crookston receive funding from CHEDA if qualifications are met. NT Auto is asking for $3,000 for signage to market and advertise their business. After some discussion, the board approved the request to give $3,000. NT Auto will also be shopping locally to get the supplies they need.
The board also reviewed a B3 application on behalf of Sistas Corner. They are asking for $5,000, and all use of the money requested would qualify for B3 funding. With that in mind, the board approved the request unanimously.
The biggest item on the Main Agenda was approving the 2022 CHEDA Budget. This item had previously been tabled so that Barnes could better understand the budget before asking the board to approve it. The Budget was also supposed to be approved in December but has been pushed back to this date after the December meeting was canceled. Barnes discussed the challenges of putting the budget together and how it will be handled moving forward. “The main challenge with this budget had to do with the transition that we are in right now,” said Barnes. “The budget is becoming largely housing, and housing has had challenges the past few years. We’ve had a drop in income, and when you take that with wanting to add new staff and new objectives and goals, it’s sometimes hard to get the numbers to meet. Next year I am hoping we can give them a much more accurate and substantial explanation for what our plan is going forward.”
There was a lengthy discussion from the board, and after talking it over, the board approved the budget with a slight change so that the budget could be balanced. The budget came in with a $17,000 deficit, and Crookston City Administrator Amy Finch discussed the decisions made so the budget could be balanced. “The discussion was how do we balance this budget,” said Finch. “There is a budget line in the city’s general fund, where we left $10,000 there for this purpose exactly. This will offset part of that deficit. There is also money in reserve funds from the Valley Technology Park fund that could be used if we end up being $7,000 over at the end of 2022. We may generate enough income so that these transfers aren’t necessary, but the money is there if we need to offset the deficit at the end of the year.”
The meeting ended with setting the 2022 CHEDA meeting dates. The meeting dates for 2022 will be held on the third Tuesday of each month at 12:00 p.m.
