Title
Discussion and Possible Action on Establishment of a Metropolitan Redevelopment Area (MRA) Commission
Recommended Action
I move that Council support an ordinance that will establish an MRA Commission and Councilor [insert name] has volunteered to work on drafting the ordinance language with the county attorney and county manager.
OR
I move that Council take no further action and maintain Council as the governing decision-making body for MRA funding requests.
County Manager's Recommendation
The County Manager recommends not creating an MRA Commission to be efficient with public resources due to the limited number of application requests anticipated.
Body
On January 13, 2026, Council discussed whether an MRA Commission should be established as an additional process step to private landowners within the MRA boundary requesting public funding support for their development projects. Councilors had mixed comments with two supporting an MRA Commission, two opposed, two not stating a clear position, and one absent.
This action item is to clarify whether a majority of the Council support creating an MRA Commission and taking the next step of drafting an ordinance that would establish the roles and responsibilities of the MRA Commission.
Should Council not support creating an MRA Commission, concerns raised by members of the public about transparency could be addressed by requesting applicants participate in public meetings or making presentations prior to requesting action from the Council.
Should the Council support creating an MRA Commission, clarification is requested on whether or not Council will serve as the decision making body for MRA related funding requests received and processed by staff prior to the establishment of a MRA Commission and appointing members.
Fiscal and Staff Impact/Unplanned Item
Administrative staff time and effort to support a new citizen commission is unknown. Currently, the Economic Development Administrator position is vacant but would likely serve in this role.