Really, tonight's conversation falls within that realm of really looking at at our assets. And as you know, we have lots of assets ranging from water and sewer pipes underneath roadways to roadways themselves, our facilities, meaning our structures, our buildings, trails, parks.

We know cities own expensive assets and just like at our houses at some point we need to look at replacing and improving those assets.

Local option sales tax, which we've talked a little bit about, but it's been a while, is another funding source outside of property taxes.

If we're looking at our property taxes this year on the budget that we just passed, um it would have increased the levy from our 7.9% would have added 9% to that levy increase. So, we'd have been at close to an 18% levy increase.

You can kind of see the sales tax impact has a seems to have a little bit less of an impact per per resident or per um per household member on that end of it.

There's a maximum of five projects. So when cities have asked for sales tax, uh you can only note or can only ask for five projects.

Station two that station is the busiest just due to the activity in and around that area. Then at night that shifts to other other stations and other service areas just because people are leaving the city, the mall's closing down, uh workers are going home and then call volume lines shift to other parts of the community.

Chair Rest would like to pass one of these large um reform bills as kind of the movement on sales tax this year. And she has made it very clear she feels really strongly that kind of her the way she has outlined things is what she wants to see cities do.

Both of these proposals would kind of use the Department of Revenue as to serve in a little bit of like what the role the legislature was doing. So they would require a approval from the Department of Revenue the year before you put it on the ballot um in a referendum.

So, you know, Marsh makes sense. I know that we have people from many cities that belong to the marsh. Um trails probably same thing because people from all over the place use our trails. Um fire stations. I know that we have cooperative agreements with other um communities, but is it regional enough to pass muster at the legislature?

I just want to put my mind at ease is that we're not making the decision in January that we are going to have a sales tax. There's a lot of opportunity for us to change direction as we consider some of these things going forward. Is that right?

It is not committing the city to a sales tax. It's or even to a referendum it is the first step in this kind of lengthy process. And so there are opportunities beyond that um to pivot, if you will.

I tried to do when working with staff on this is make these manageable in terms of a timeline. So, as you know, we start at six o'clock. The idea is to have a couple items um hopefully two hour kind of a two-hour meeting, two and a half tops.

There's actually three check-ins that we need with you about the zoning code next year. Okay. So March would be one zoning check-in. That'll be a regular meeting, Julie. that uh no that would we could do that at March 2nd. That could just be a zoning update. Here's what we're doing. Here's what's happening.

I know that there's a number, there's several, including one next door to me, but that shouldn't be the driver of of people who are specifically coming in and starting to buy um in Minnetonka to use for short-term rentals. And um and you know for for the few and there's not a lot of people who who you know live on lakeshore properties but a lot of them are paying incredibly high taxes um property taxes and um and not all of them are the Uber or the wealthy and you know people are buying up those places and then doing short-term rentals and you're having parties every single night next to you.

I think, you know, dealing with something like that sooner rather than later than waiting it from my perspective. Um, you know, and and I'm willing to listen and learn to why that isn't.

How about if we we agree that staff will look and see if there are any any options that would make sense legally to potent, you know, allow us to kick the can down the road to avoid the problem. That could be a moratorum, but but let's let's have the experts look at it a little bit more thoroughly before we make a decision.

If if everybody can be disciplined because I like the I really like the idea of starting the budget conversation early. But but if there if you're going to have a bunch of three-hour budget sessions, I think that is counterproductive.

I just was wondering um I'll follow up with you on this on our next sit down is just that I think the roll out for purgatory signs and things has not been you know kind of because of weather and other things and so my only concern um is maybe that we be open to seeing what you know that June 15th because I'm not sure we'll have enough time with full signage um for for for purgatory to be able to really evaluate.

You know, I'm really proud of the city and I'm really proud of the opportunity to that I've had to work with all of you. Um, this this is truly a professionally um, uh, run organization that is committed to excellence and I'm proud that I've had the opportunity to be part of it.

But I but this was not a this is not a me thing. This is a we thing. Um I couldn't have done it with all without all of you and I I just want you to know how grateful I am.