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HRA/EDA allowed to operate in city limitsBy Barbara Brown After much discussion, the Stacy city council agreed to allow the Chisago County Housing and Redevelopment Authority/Economic Development Authority to operate within the city limits. According to Chris Eng, executive director of the HRA/ EDA, state law requires the authority to ask a cityís permission before it investigates whether it wants to fund a particular project. The permission is required only one time, Eng told the council. Eng went to the council to get permission to continue with the process of a public hearing to determine whether it should help with financing of a new fire station in Stacy. The council was concerned that residents might think that granting the HRA/EDA permission to investigate financing meant the council backed the project. Granting permission for the authority to work on the possibility of financing does not necessarily mean that the city has given its stamp of approval to the project or any possible funding, Eng said. Lent Township approached the Chisago County HRA/EDA to ask for low interest financing of the fire station project within the Stacy city limits. Lent Township owns about 20 acres on which it plans to build a fire station. An informational meeting will be held July 23 to hear more about the fire hall project and get Stacy residentsí input on whether the city should buy in to the project. In the meantime, Stacy councilman John Walz sent a letter last month to several surrounding communities to see if they would be interested in giving the city fire coverage. The letter was sent to Wyoming, Wyoming Township, Chisago Lakes Township and Linwood Township. So far, none of those communities were interested in developing a new fire department or adding Stacy to their coverage areas. Also at the Stacy meeting: ď The council, on a 3-2 vote, accepted a donation from Mayor Kathi Lawrence of $905. Councilmembers Barb Otterson and Katie Davidson supported the donation, but did not want it to be set aside in a mayorís education fund, suggested by Lawrence. Instead, they wanted the money to go to the cityís general fund. ď Steve Mueller of the Stacy Lions Club updated the council on the development of a baseball field the organization is donating to the city. The club also was granted permission to pursue a building permit for a concession stand at the field. ©ECM Post Review |