If you are like most of us in Albert Lea, you’ve wondered just why we have a port authority. Where is the port? Where are the ships? What’s going on?

The fact is that we don’t have any of this. Our port authority is a separate unit of government that runs parallel to our city government. This separate authority is currently headed by the city manager and its commissioners are the members of the city council. The Albert Lea Port Authority (ALPO), as currently structured, is empowered to raise economic development funds by issuing bonds which have the full faith and credit of the community behind them. They can use this money to purchase land, construct buildings, and conduct other activities to assist new or existing businesses to expand.

It can receive money from state and federal agencies for this purpose. It can set up and administer tax increment financing districts which finance demolition of existing structures, prepare land, construct roads and utilities and otherwise make development sites ready for industry and commerce. Sounds like a really powerful economic development tool, doesn’t it? Well, it is! It’s set up to be the economic development engine for the City of Albert Lea.

There are a few problems, however. First of all, the ALPO is completely under the direct control of the city manager. Virtually nobody else in town has a clue what the ALPO is doing. Secondly, the board of directors is the city council. Let’s see; who’s on the board? We have the head of a charitable organization, a trucking executive, an office supply salesman, a minister of God, a bar owner, a telephone receptionist, and a fire extinguisher salesman. A pretty good cross-section of our citizenry, don’t you think? What might we expect them to know about industrial land purchase and development? How about all the other sophisticated legal, banking, marketing, engineering and construction aspects of running a port authority? Not much, you will probably agree. Most of our city council members would probably agree with you.

It would seem more logical to set up your port authority so that the board members would have both the interest and the expertise to perform their functions well. Wouldn’t it make more sense to select board members with backgrounds in law, real estate, banking, engineering, construction, education, industrial training, marketing, and other fields which would lend expertise to this process? It might also make sense to have the port authority managed by someone with demonstrated experience and success in the industrial development field. Don’t you think that we might have more success with our industrial development efforts if our port authority was headed up by someone known and respected by developers throughout our region? It certainly makes sense to me.

The city council seems to think that this might make sense also. They plan on holding public hearings at the next city council meeting on April 14 regarding changes to the port authority so they can learn what the public thinks about reorganizing the ALPO. We, the voters, have told the council very loudly and clearly during the last campaign that we are tired of Business As Usual. We have challenged them to find new ways of getting our city back on the move. It looks like they have heard us and are trying to do something. It is important, however, that the Port Authority not be cut off completely from the city and set up as an independent organization. It must remain under the direct &uot;control&uot; of our elected officials even though day to day management should be left to the professionals.

How many times have we heard our friends and neighbors say, &uot;Nobody cares what I think.&uot; How about, &uot;They will just do whatever they want anyway.&uot; This is just ducking their responsibility as citizens of our community. I can tell you that our city council does care what the people think. If they hold a public hearing and nobody shows up to provide input, what are they to think? That nobody cares? What would you think? Decisions such as this one will chart the future of our community and its citizens. You have a vested interest in this process. Get out there and let them know what you think!

Tony Trow is an Albert Lea resident and president of Destination: Albert Lea. His column appears Mondays.