III. Visit from Representative Omar, Congressional ...

AgendaCity Council Work SessionCity of Edina, Minnesota

Community Room

Wednesday, November 6, 20195:30 PM

I. Call To Order

II. Roll Call

III. Visit from Representative Omar, Congressional District 5Representative

IV. Business Response to Potential Partial Funding of Infrastructure withLocal Option Sales Tax

V. Adjournment

The City of Edina wants all residents to be comfortable being part of thepublic process. If you need assistance in the way of hearing ampli cation, aninterpreter, large-print documents or something else, please call 952-927-886172 hours in advance of the meeting.

Date: November 6, 2019 Agenda Item #: III.

To: Mayor and City Council Item Type:Other

From: Casey Casella, City Management FellowItem Activity:

Subject: Visit from Representative Omar, CongressionalDistrict 5 Representative

Information

CITY OF EDINA4801 West 50th Street

Edina, MN 55424www.edinamn.gov

ACTION REQUESTED:None.

INTRODUCTION:Attached is the City Council's 2019 Federal Legislative Priorities booklet.

ATTACHMENTS:Descr ipt ion

2019 Federal Priorities Booklet

http://www.edinamn.gov

2019 LEGISLATIVE PRIORITIES

Edina is a part of the Twin Cities metro which is home to more than 3.4 million residents. The City of Edina is a statutory city operating under a council-manager form of government. It is a community of 15.98 square miles serving approximately 50,000 residents. Minnesota State Highways 62 and 100 divide the city into four sections. U.S. Highway 169 and Minnesota Highway 100 extend north and south. Interstate Highway 494 and Minnesota Highway 62 extend east and west.

Edina is a business destination as well as a residential destination. Every day, 40,000 people commute into Edina to work and 18,500 people commute out of Edina to work. In addition to this traffic, the city’s retail centers attract visitors from all over the metropolitan area.

Edina has a five-member City Council all of whom are elected at large from our community on a non-partisan basis. The City Council sets policy and direction for the City which

is then executed by the City Manager. The City provides a full range of services, including Police, Fire, EMS, 911 dispatch services, street construction and maintenance, water treatment, economic development, property assessment, building inspections, the operation of 40 public parks

Edina, Minnesota

1

Centennial Lakes Park

Year New Residential Developments

Affordable Units/ Market Units

2010 Waters Senior Living

7/132

2012 Aurora on France

10/172

Southdale One 0/232

2013 71 France 0/241

2014 Yorkshire of Edina

10/86

66 West 39/0

Onyx Edina Apartments

0/240

2015 Aria 6/179

The Millennium 11/364

2016 The Loden 0/246

2017 Nolan Mains 10/90

Avidor 16/149

2018 4500 France 3/42

Hazelton Apartments

0/167

Total Affordable Units/Market Units

112/2,340

and the production of extensive communications programming. In addition, Edina operates three municipal liquor stores that provide financial support for the City’s six recreation enterprise operations, including Braemar Golf Course, Braemar Arena + Field, Edina Aquatic Center, Edina Art Center, Centennial Lakes Park and Edinborough Park.

Local EconomyThe City currently enjoys a strong economic environment and local indicators point to continued growth. The region, while noted for strong retail and professional sectors, has enjoyed considerable redevelopment that has maintained a low unemployment rate within the City. Major private employers in Edina include:

• Fairview Southdale Hospital• Southdale Center• Galleria Edina shopping mall• Spartan Nash• Regis• FILMTEC (Dow Chemical Co.) • Lunds & Byerlys • Jerry’s Enterprises, Inc• Western National Insurance

Community VisionCity staff are guided by Vision Edina, the City’s long-range strategic plan. The City’s Comprehensive Plan guides development and redevelopment and addresses changes likely to occur due to various social and market forces.

The City continues to focus on quality of life improvements throughout Edina. These efforts cover a broad array of areas, including an emphasis on sustainability both internally and externally as well as intensive work to identify and remedy racial inequities within our city government to ensure that all people are being served and have an opportunity to serve within our local government.

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The City is continually working to update aging infrastructure. Our biennially adopted five-year Capital Improvement Plan includes spending and financing projections for these projects.

Community PrioritiesThe City Council sets a two year operating budget and work plan. The following four priorities and objectives are highlighted in the 2018-2019 Budget Plan.

1. Maintain physical assets and infrastructure

2. Maintain service levels that best meet the needs of the community

3. Plan for connected and sustainable development

4. Foster inclusive and engaged community • Develop and implement

strategy to creating affordable housing units with revenue from Affordable Housing Policy

• Increase intergovernmental relations

Federal Legislative Priorities State and Local Tax (SALT) Deduction The 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act reduced the opportunity for taxpayers to fully itemize deductions for their state and local taxes (SALT) against their federal income tax liability. This fundamental change to the tax code will have a detrimental impact on many taxpayers in the City of Edina. We ask for your support in reversing this change to the tax code and reinstating full federal deductibility of state and local taxes.

Enable Cities to Protect Residents from Harmful Levels of Aviation NoiseThe City Council has identified aviation noise as one of the key threats to the quality of life in Edina. Council Members request support from Edina’s federally elected officials for eliminating Categorical Exclusions (CATEX) when implementing Performance Based Navigation (PBN). The process should ensure that ground impacts and community concerns are incorporated into PBN and traditional track changes that will change noise exposure. Regarding measuring

50th & France

4Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport

noise, Day/Night Noise Level (DNL) is an average and humans do not perceive noise in averages but rather as individual events, so we believe it is time to investigate alternative metrics.

We are concerned about the impacts from the increased number and frequency of flights under traditional PBN tracks. There is currently very little information pertaining to the human impact of the concentration of flights associated with PBN procedures. Our residents are exposed to continuous concentrated noise due to our proximity to the airport. Although there may not be an increase in average noise as measured by DNL, there are unknown impacts from the increased number and frequency of flights.

Given the age of some Sound Insulation Programs (SIP) in the Unites States, the increase in traffic density at our nation’s airports, and improved technologies, the Edina City Council supports the eligibility standards used prior to the September 2012 Public Guidance Letter (PGL-12-09).

The Edina City Council opposes the privatization of Air Traffic Control. We are concerned it may reduce the

accountability of the organization to Congress, and that without a mechanism for compelling the private company to meet and discuss community concerns, there will be fewer opportunities for advocacy on noise impacts.

The FAA has taken positive steps to improve community engagement, including adopting a Community Involvement Manual and hiring a Community Involvement Manager for Airspace Projects. The Edina City Council believes that this will result in a more efficient and successful implementation of NextGen and we strongly support these efforts.

Post Office Preservation The Edina Post Office in the 50th & France District in Edina is housed in a leased facility. The property owner has announced that this lease will not be renewed following its expiration in 2021. The Edina Post Office is important to the Edina, Minneapolis and St. Louis Park residents that it serves. We ask your support in keeping a full service post office in the 50th & France District and to initiate the planning process for a new post office within the next 24 months.

Invest in Local Transportation PrioritiesThe City Council urges Congress to support transportation programs that recognize the central role of transportation to metropolitan and regional economies to ensure everyone has access to education, training and employment.

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The Edina City Council asks Congress to identify a user-fee based system that keeps the Highway Trust Fund fully funded beyond the expiration of the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (FAST) Act. Furthermore, Congress should fund transportation infrastructure projects by putting money directly into the hands of local governments. The Council also asks Congress increase federal funding for programs that support all modes of transportation, including Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development (BUILD) Grants (formerly TIGER grants), Transportation Alternatives, the Surface Transportation Block Grant Program, New Starts and Fostering Advancement in Shipping and Transportation for the Long-term Achievement of National Efficiencies (FASTLANE) Grants.

The City Council also asks Congress to provide funding support for the reconstruction of the interchange at the intersection of interstate highways 494 and 35W. This interchange was constructed in the early 1960s and has had very few modifications or improvements since that time. The interchange is congested well over 30 percent of each day, carrying nearly 500,000 vehicles daily. This interchange is critical for residents in Edina as well as for the larger regional metro region.

In addition, the City Council expresses appreciation for the federal funding provided to the Southwest Light Rail Transit (LRT) Project. Transit projects similar to the Southwest Light rail are vital to our region’s continued growth.

The City Council requests future federal investment in transit projects in the Twin Cities Region. The role of metropolitan economies is critical to our nation’s economic wellbeing and competitiveness. It is critical that we invest in upgrades to our national transportation infrastructure to promote greater efficiencies in costs, environmental impact, safety, and equity to our community. The addition of alternative modes of transportation including light rail and bus rapid transit help us to achieve these goals.

Protect Municipal BondsEdina’s Aaa and AAA credit ratings from Standard + Poor’s and Moody’s investors services are a source of community pride and represent the financial strength of our city. These ratings create opportunities for the City to invest in our community’s future and provide the best value in public services back to our residents. It is the combination of local control and local responsibility that make municipal bonds such an effective and efficient tool. Any changes to the tax code should recognize the vital role of tax except municipal bonds. The Edina City Council asks you to oppose any attempt to make changes to the tax exempt status that would increase the cost of

Small cell

6

financing for cities as doing so would be devastating for our operations, our services and, ultimately, our residents.

Local Management of Wireless Siting Sound communications policy recognizes and supports local communities’ authority to manage their public rights-of-way and maintain zoning and related land use authority in the public interest. Wireless communications providers should be subject to the same local rules that govern other individuals and businesses to protect public safety, property, community character and local commerce.

Recent rulings by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) have created caps on application fees and rent charged for use of these assets, failing to consider the actual costs cities incur in processing applications or the fair market value of using municipal assets. As a result, taxpayers will have to subsidize the deployment of wireless services, and cities will lose control of their municipal assets. We urge Congress to analyze the FCC rulings and recognize that the siting of wireless facilities on city assets must balance the needs of the wireless companies with the ability of cities to make decisions that are best for their communities.

Cable Franchise Fees The Edina City Council urges Congress to recognize, support and maintain the exercise of local franchising authority to encourage increased competition between incumbent cable system operators and new wireline competitive video service providers.

The City Council asks Congress to refraining from adopting any FCC rule changes that would restrict existing local authority to charge for and control access to public rights-of way by all video and cable service providers.

Affordable Housing and CDBGSupplying affordable housing to all Minnesotans is an important investment we can make in Minnesota’s future. Unfortunately, federal funding for housing programs has been frozen or cut, negatively impacting state funding – which hampers cities’ ability to adequately address housing issues. Cities cannot close the housing affordability gap on their own. We urge Congress to preserve Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) and prioritize affordable housing and work with local partners to coordinate federal housing resources.

The City Council asks Congress to support the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) and Home Investment Partnership (HOME) program. These programs are the principal source of federal revenue for localities to use in developing and implementing community development solutions for creating and sustaining healthy, functioning communities.

Edinborough Park

City of Edina4801 W. 50th St. Edina, MN 55424

952-927-8861 | EdinaMN.gov

James [email protected]

Mary BrindleCity Council [email protected]

Mike FischerCity Council [email protected]

Kevin StauntonCity Council [email protected]

Ron AndersonCity Council [email protected]

Scott H. NealCity [email protected]

Date: November 6, 2019 Agenda Item #: IV.

To: Mayor and City Council Item Type:Reports / Recommendation

From: Chad A. Millner, P.E., Director of EngineeringItem Activity:

Subject: Business Response to Potential Partial Funding ofInfrastructure with Local Option Sales Tax

Discussion

CITY OF EDINA4801 West 50th Street

Edina, MN 55424www.edinamn.gov

ACTION REQUESTED:None. Discussion only.

INTRODUCTION:Staff needs direction from Council in exploring the Local Option Sales Tax as an alternative way to partially fundlocal street reconstruction. Council direction to proceed would mean staff would prepare legislation for the 2020Legislative Session. Staff mailed 4,000 invites to area businesses and had a very low turn-out for the meetings. See the attachedreports detailing the feedback received.

ATTACHMENTS:Descr ipt ion

Staff Report: Business Response

Business Feedback Summary

Surveymonkey Business Response Summary

http://www.edinamn.gov

November 6, 2019

Mayor and City Council

Chad A. Millner, PE, Director of Engineering

Business Response to Potential Partial Funding of Infrastructure with Local Option Sales Tax

Business Discussion Summary:

At the September 4 Council Work Session, Council provided comment on the potential use of local option

sales tax to partially fund street reconstruction and bridges, retaining walls, and street lighting. Council

directed staff to solicit feedback from the business community to inform next steps.

Staff sent out 4,000 invitations to Edina businesses inviting them to learn more. Staff hosted three

educational meetings:

• General Businesses

o Date: October 16

o Attendance: 13 people

• Edina Chamber of Commerce

o Date: Sept 30


• Edina Rotary Clubs

o Date: Oct 17


• Individual Meetings with Economic Development Manager

o Estimated meetings & phone calls: 10

In total, approximately 40 members of the business community attended the three meetings. A one-page

handout was provided to attendees with a link to a website to provide feedback on the idea. Feedback

received is attached.

STAFF REPORT Page 2

Infrastructure Financing Options

At the Council retreat in March, four options for funding infrastructure were presented:

1. Status Quo – Continue special assessments

2. Local Option Sales Tax (LOST) – Partial reduction in special assessments (MSA only)

3. General Tax Levy Dollars – Replace special assessments

4. Franchise Fees – Partial or replacement of special assessments

Review of Statue Change

Staff has learned more about the 2019 statute change regarding a local option sales tax. The first step is the

governing body (Council) must pass a resolution proposing the tax that includes documentation of the

regional significance of each project including the benefits to nonlocal persons and businesses

among other things. Staff feels this requirement will not allow the use of LOST for local street

reconstruction.

Next Steps & Discussion

Staff recommends seeking legislative approval for a 0.5% Local Option Sales Tax for 20-years to fund a

portion of only Municipal State Aid (MSA) street reconstruction program including the associated bridges,

retaining walls and street lighting.

If Council so chooses, there may be other regional significant projects to consider with LOST. Options may

include, but would need further discussion are:

1. Rosland Park Pedestrian Bridge over Highway 62

2. 78th Street Pedestrian Bridge over CP Rail

3. Construction of Fred Richards Master Plan

4. Construction of Braemer Park Master Plan

If approved by the state legislature, a voter-approved referendum would be required before implementation.

Attachments

1. Business Feedback Summary

2. Survey Monkey Business Feedback Report

November 6, 2019

Mayor and City Council

Chad A. Millner, PE, Director of Engineering Bill Neuendorf, Economic Development Manager

Business Feedback Summary: Potential Partial Funding of Infrastructure with Local Option Sales

Tax

Business Feedback Summary:

Since the September 2019 work session, staff has used several means to solicit feedback from the Edina

business community. An invitation was mailed to the 4,000 businesses based in Edina. Staff held three in-

person meetings in October. Staff also contacted several of the larger employers and fielded telephone

inquiries.

An online survey tool was used to collect feedback. The feedback form was filled out by 19 individuals.

Below is a summary of the responses:

• Do you own or manage a business in Edina?

o Yes: 84%

No: 16%

The below responses are filtered to exclude responses from those who do not own or manage a business.

• Type of business:

o Retail sales: 19%

o Business-to-business: 6%

o Professional services: 56%

o Health and beauty: 19%

• Is Minnesota state tax applied to goods sold and services provided?

o Yes: 37%

o No: 62%

STAFF REPORT Page 2

• Have you had prior experience with a local option sales tax?

o Yes: 19%

o No: 81%

Businesses were asked to identify potential impacts of a local option sales tax on their business, the overall

Edina business community, and Edina’s business reputation.

From those owning/managing a business, about half (8 individuals) anticipated no or little impact to their

personal business, the broader business community or Edina’s business reputation.

The other half (7 individuals) expressed concerns about potential impacts. A summary of the potential

impacts follows:

Themes of Potential Impacts Summary of Comments

Fear of losing sales, existing

customers, and new customers

• Concerned about accelerated decline in sales in light of

continuing growth of internet sales

• Concerned about being at a competitive disadvantage to

other businesses that charge lower tax

• Concerned about loss of sales and loss of customers to

businesses located in lower tax cities

• Concerned about slow growth in new customers because

goods would be more expensive

• Concerned with decline in new businesses when lower tax

locations are nearby

Difficulty administering

• Some small businesses not currently set up to collect taxes

for State and City

• Difficulty with national franchise

• May increase overhead costs for additional clerical/tax

reporting

Fairness of taxation of non-

residents

• Question the fairness of charging non-Edina customers for a

local tax that mostly benefits Edina residents

• May damage the welcoming experience for visitors to Edina

Businesses also posed a variety of questions for the City to investigate should the local option sales tax be

pursued. Questions included:

• What is the impact on overall city finances and budget, such as city debt and tax levy?

• What is the longevity of city streets?

• Are roadway construction costs changing differently than other types of construction costs?

STAFF REPORT Page 3

• How are sales tax applied and collected for online purchases?

• For what purpose do other cities use local option sales tax?

• Has fairness been considered in reviewing the different funding options?

• Has a reasonable transition plan been identified for property owners that paid under the current

assessment policy?

• Has the City explored other funding options beyond sales taxes?

• Has a sunset been considered if this new tax is enacted?

84.21% 16

15.79% 3

Q1 Do you own or manage a business in Edina?Answered: 19 Skipped: 0

TOTAL 19

Yes

No

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

ANSWER CHOICES RESPONSES

Yes

No

1 / 10

Local Option Sales Tax

83.33% 15

0.00% 0

0.00% 0

16.67% 3

Q2 What is your title or relationship to the business?Answered: 18 Skipped: 1

TOTAL 18

# OTHER (PLEASE SPECIFY) DATE

1 Administrative Assistant 10/7/2019 1:35 PM

2 Executive Director 10/7/2019 12:12 PM

3 Retired 10/7/2019 10:32 AM

Owner

District orRegional...

Local Manager

Other (pleasespecify)

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%


Owner

District or Regional Executive

Local Manager

Other (please specify)

2 / 10


16.67% 3

5.56% 1

55.56% 10

16.67% 3

0.00% 0

5.56% 1

Q3 What best describes your business?Answered: 18 Skipped: 1

TOTAL 18

# OTHER (PLEASE SPECIFY) DATE

1 Retired 10/7/2019 10:32 AM

Retail sales

Business-to-business sales

Professionalservices

Health andbeauty services

Homeimprovement ...

Other (pleasespecify)

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%


Retail sales

Business-to-business sales

Professional services

Health and beauty services

Home improvement and repair services

Other (please specify)

3 / 10


Q4 Generally speaking, where do your customer reside?Answered: 17 Skipped: 2

Customers

0.00%0

92.31%12

7.69%1

0.00%0

13

6.25%1

87.50%14

0.00%0

6.25%1

16

37.50%6

62.50%10

0.00%0

0.00%0

16

8.33%1

58.33%7

33.33%4

0.00%0

12

0.00%0

45.45%5

45.45%5

9.09%1

11

Customers

All Some None Unsure

Edina

Within 5 milesof Edina

Twin Citiesmetro area

GreaterMinnesota

Outside thestate / country

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

ALL SOME NONE UNSURE TOTAL

Edina

Within 5 miles of Edina

Twin Cities metro area

Greater Minnesota

Outside the state / country

4 / 10


35.29% 6

64.71% 11

Q5 Are Minnesota state taxes applied to goods and services sold by yourbusiness?

Answered: 17 Skipped: 2

TOTAL 17

Yes

No

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%


Yes

No

5 / 10


16.67% 3

83.33% 15

Q6 Do you have experience operating a business in a city with a localoptions sales tax?


TOTAL 18

Yes

No

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%


Yes

No

6 / 10


0.00% 0

80.00% 4

0.00% 0

20.00% 1

Q7 Which meeting on the possibility of a local option sales tax did youattend?


TOTAL 5

Sept 30 -Edina Chambe...

Oct. 16 -General meet...

Oct. 17 -Edina Rotary...

Did not attenda presentati...

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%


Sept 30 - Edina Chamber of Commerce Economic Development Committee

Oct. 16 - General meeting for all businesses

Oct. 17 - Edina Rotary Club

Did not attend a presentation by City Staff

7 / 10


Q8 What, if any, impact would a local option sales tax have on your Edinabusiness?


# RESPONSES DATE

1 None 10/22/2019 9:09 AM

2 We would undoubtably lose sales to the internet. If my mark up is 100% for a $100 sale, I will lose$50 and the city will lose .50 cents. If I lose that client once a month for ten years, I lose $6000dollars in profit while the city misses $60 over 10 years. That represent one client. If I lose 100clients, I lose $600,000 in profit on $1,200,000 in sales while the city misses out on $6000. That isfar more than a "limited" impact on just one business. This is a probability and is by no means farreaching.

10/17/2019 6:03 PM

3 Hard to administer with National franchise. not my business issue, but expensive goods will bebought elsewhere

10/16/2019 3:40 PM

4 For parts and service sales, customer would have to pay an additional tax. 10/16/2019 2:41 PM

5 Cause non edinans disdain for paying a tax that supports things not Germain to a business thatcould locate elsewhere.

10/16/2019 1:14 PM

6 Custodial responsibility for compliance of a consumer tax that the customer is responsible to pay.Could be other conditions that may make the transaction exempt that perhaps is not considered oranticipated

10/10/2019 3:51 PM

7 Not a good idea st all. Customers would avoid Edina. 10/10/2019 12:13 PM

8 none 10/9/2019 7:43 AM

9 Not sure 10/7/2019 12:13 PM

10 minimal 10/7/2019 11:46 AM

11 I do not want the tax 10/7/2019 11:12 AM

12 None to me since there is no sales tax on insurance products 10/7/2019 11:06 AM

13 Little to none 10/7/2019 11:05 AM

14 Not sure 10/7/2019 10:43 AM

15 additional clerical/tax reporting 10/7/2019 10:06 AM

16 Little to none 9/30/2019 3:31 PM

8 / 10


Q9 What, if any, impact would a local option sales tax have on the overallEdina business community?


# RESPONSES DATE

1 I think it would have a negative impact. 10/22/2019 9:09 AM

2 Every Day I Need Attention (E.D.I.N.A.) and the term cake eaters will be the words used evenmore to describe our city. Instead, we should be thought to be gracious and welcoming.

10/17/2019 6:03 PM

3 negative, unless other surrounding communities are doing the same 10/16/2019 3:40 PM

4 Very well might deter customers from shopping in Edina. 10/16/2019 2:41 PM

5 EDINA would be the butt of a lot of socialist Jokes . 10/16/2019 1:14 PM

6 Edina is always the most expensive and here is another example. They could buy from anotherlocation outside of Edina and have it delivered to their Edina location, would then there need to beuse tax?

10/10/2019 3:51 PM

7 Terrible idea. Quit hiring staff and start managing our budget better. Quit giving away TIF, taxcredits and the like.

10/10/2019 12:13 PM

8 Little, if any. 10/9/2019 7:43 AM

9 It would share the road construction/reconstruction burden with more of the city road users. 10/7/2019 12:13 PM

10 some impact - especially if other local communities don't have a similar tax. 10/7/2019 11:46 AM

11 I do not want the tax, and I would avoid shopping in Edina 10/7/2019 11:12 AM

12 In my opinion, very minimal. 10/7/2019 11:06 AM

13 Small, would stay below the rate in neighboring Minneapolis. 10/7/2019 11:05 AM

14 Not sure. Sounds like tax could reduce some tax burden. I would hate this concept be used to sellthe idea and just end up keeping tax assessments the same but adding additional tax. Edina isspending money like we are printing it.

10/7/2019 10:43 AM

15 France Ave address should be entirely included in the cost of building and operating on Franceave.... not spread across backstreets' tax structure. the city already has the power to upgrade andrepair streets and assess the property owners. This is a method to shift that expense to otherproperty owners and businesses.

10/7/2019 10:06 AM

16 acceptable impact 9/30/2019 3:31 PM

9 / 10


Q10 What, if any, impact would a local option sales tax have on Edina’sbusiness reputation?


# RESPONSES DATE

1 Make it worse. "The City that has everything now wants other people to pay for its roads." 10/22/2019 9:09 AM

2 Too many to list with many more approved options to gather more revenue. Perhaps sell of a golfcourse or two, and lessen Edina's non-taxed property that is on the books. Perhaps this time andenergy would be better spent talking about budget and spending as opposed to rising taxes to ourguests. Perhaps Edina should lead by example and live within it's means as opposed to followingothers who do not. I had to LOL when I learned we carry a $112,000,000.00 debt which wasadded to by $8,000,000.00 remodeling a golf course which is used primarily by Edina citizensbecause it is more expensive if you live outside Edina. I would bet the Player card fees tend to limitthe number of non-residents that play which is what is designed to do. A glaring example of thethought of a local sales tax and what it will do to lessen or eliminate visits from people who liveoutside Edina. Had you not remodeled the golf course you would have has 2 years of$4,000,000.00 revenue eliminating the need for more tax. This too is a glaring example of overspending. How about eliminating debt so there is no debt to service? Wouldn't that interest savingcreate an annual $4,000,000.00 windfall? How did we get to this level of debt? Who is responsibleand are they still making decisions?

10/17/2019 6:03 PM

3 Edina has been a well run city, additional taxation will reflect negatively on this reputation. Thehomeowners who have used the existing process will feel slighted. Will create a very negativereaction with the amounts of money involved (it is thousands of dollars)

10/16/2019 3:40 PM

4 That it is an expensive place to do business and our customers might look elsewhere. 10/16/2019 2:41 PM

5 Become lumped in with (poorly managed ) Minneapolis. 10/16/2019 1:14 PM

6 See above #8 10/10/2019 3:51 PM

7 Would harm us tremendously! 10/10/2019 12:13 PM

8 No impact. People shop and do business in Edina for a lot of reasons (quality, convenience, etc).Local sales taxes do not keep people for doing business in the cities that have that (e.g.Minneapolis). I support having a broader population of people financially support the maintenanceof our roads via a small (immaterial, really), local sales tax.

10/9/2019 7:43 AM

9 Goods sold in Edina will become more expensive for the consumer. 10/7/2019 12:13 PM

10 probably mildly negative 10/7/2019 11:46 AM

11 I do not want the tax, and I would avoid shopping in Edina 10/7/2019 11:12 AM

12 No opinion on the reputation (most of the public would never know this tax existed) but thosebusiness that charge a tax may question, why does their business need to subsidize ahomeowner's new road on Rolf Ave? It is hard for small business to subsidize governmentbusiness!

10/7/2019 11:06 AM

13 Initially some press - likely some negative (in tone anyway) 10/7/2019 11:05 AM

14 People are already avoiding 50th and France district. Does Wayzata do this? Stillwater? Excelsiorall destination downtowns

10/7/2019 10:43 AM

15 It would have a minor impact 9/30/2019 3:31 PM

10 / 10


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