Waite Park Launches Economic Development Authority to Boost Business and Entertainment Growth

(KNSI) – Waite Park has approved a new taxing agency to help attract businesses and grow the community.

In June, the city council approved forming an Economic Development Authority. On Monday, the council okayed an $85,274 levy that will start being collected in January. Waite Park City Administrator Shaunna Johnson told KNSI why the city decided to form an EDA, “What that does is that it gives the city some ability to levy some dollars that then can be used towards economic development within the community or promoting those different types of things within the community.”

Johnson says spurring Waite Park’s industrial and commercial growth is a big reason for the new tax. She explained they also want to make the city a destination. “We also have a desire to create more of an entertainment district and those types of commercial business kinds of things. And so we’re hoping that if we start with this EDA and start collecting some funds, we have the ability to move some of those initiatives forward.”

The city council will act as the EDA for now, and at some point, the city may appoint people to a board. For now, the city will collect the money for about a year, and then they’ll develop a plan for how the money might be used in the future.

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