City Council Preview: Sept. 14, 2020

We provide these West St. Paul City Council previews with your support.

Monday’s West St. Paul City Council meeting should be relatively short (famous last words). There is no Open Council Work Session, just an Economic Development Authority (EDA) meeting at 5:45 p.m. The main items on the agenda are next year’s budget, an errant fence, and a business subsidy.

Standard COVID-19 disclaimer: Limited audience, wear a mask, overflow crowd can watch in the lobby. All meetings are broadcast online and on cable TV. Public comments will be in-person and via call-in.

What’s on the Agenda?

• Budget: The high point of the evening will be the 2021-2022 budget and the capital infrastructure and equipment plan (basically how we’re going to spend our money in the next couple years). The maximum property tax levy increase will be 5.62% (it could come down, but that’s as high as it can be).
• Business subsidy: More Space Storage is planning to build a new facility at 1665 Oakdale and is requesting a $25,000 business subsidy grant from the EDA for soil mitigation and site constraints.
• Whose fence?: There’s an accidental fence on city property at 1010 Dodd. The previous owner of the adjacent property put in the fence, and the current owner is trying to set things right. The Council is set to reject a request to adjust the property line and will likely create an encroachment agreement that allows the fence to stay for now.
• Cable franchise: There’s a public hearing for the renewal of the cable franchise.
• Proclamations and recognitions: The Council will proclaim next week Direct Support Professionals Week and recognize Hispanic Heritage Month from September 15 to October 15.

The public can watch the meeting live on Town Square TV or cable channel 18 starting at 6:30 p.m. on Monday, August 31, 2020 (5:45 p.m. for the EDA meeting).

If you’re not able to attend the meeting in person, you can always use our coloring pages to imagine you’re there.

Keep City Council previews and recaps coming by supporting West St. Paul Reader.