Inver Grove Heights School Board, City Council Preview

The Inver Grove Heights City Council and the District 199 School Board are both holding public meetings on Monday night. Here's a preview of the agendas for the two groups:

Inver Grove Heights City Council

• The council may vote to pursue a lawsuit against A&W Restaurants, Inc. and Yum! Brands, Inc., the franchisors of a local A&W Restaurant that closed in February. If the council authorizes the commencement of litigation, it will join the franchisee of the Inver Grove Heights A&W, Patrick Nickleson and Patricia Nickleson Enterprises, which brought litigation against A&W and Yum! Brands earlier this year. Nickleson Enterprises alleges that the franchisors misrepresented the revenue projections that they presented to the company prior to the opening of the Inver Grove Heights restaurant. The city relied on those revenue projections when it chose to give the Nicklesons a $50,000 site improvement loan.

• The council may choose to purchase a vacant property at 4301 Doffing Ave. for $115,219 as part of the city's Doffing Avenue Voluntary Acquistion Program. The goal of the program is acquire properties located within or near the floodplain along the Mississippi River and demolish them — thereby reducing the risk of significant flood damage to businesses and homes. Money for the purchase would come from the city's Host Community Fund.

• The council is expected to hold a public hearing for the approval of an off-sale intoxicating liquor license for Cameron's Warehouse Liquors, which plans to break ground on a new store along Concord Boulevard this spring.

• In December, the city put out a Request For Proposals for firms willing to conduct a location analysis study for a new fire station. City staff interviewed four firms that applied, and recommend approval of a contract with DLR Group/KKE for $22,000. If the contract is approved, the firm will help the city identify locations for a proposed new fire station.

Independent School District 199 School Board

• The school board is expected to discuss a proposed levy referendum question that could be put to local voters as early as this November. If passed, the proposed levy would replace an older levy, approved in 2002, that generates roughly $2 million in annual taxes for the school district. That levy expires in 2012. Before November, board members make several important decisions, including what amount the district will seek in increased taxes, whether to pursue multiple levies and what language the district will use to pose the question on the ballot voters will receive.