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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMINUTES EDA 09.18.18MINUTES FOR THE EDA MEETING OF SEPTEMBER 18, 2018 Weidt called the meeting to order at 5:00 pm. PRESENT: Denaway, Gallivan, Houle, Klein, Petty, Puleo, Weidt ABSENT: STAFF: Bryan Bear, City Administrator Rachel Juba, Community Development Director Pierre Giguere, Community Development Intern APPROVAL OF MINUTES FOR THE EDA MEETING OF AUGUST 21, 2018 Klein made a motion, Petty seconded, to approve minutes for the EDA meeting of August 21, 2018. All Ayes. Motion carried. DISCUSSION ON BR&E PROGRAM OPTIONS Chris Eng introduced options for BR&E (Business Retention and Expansion) programs that the City of Hugo could choose to adopt. Eng explains four points as to why the City should undertake a BR&E program. A BR&E program would allow the City to demonstrate support for local businesses, identify and assist in addressing any immediate business concerns, establish and implement future EDA work plan action steps, and build community capacity to promote business growth and economic development. Eng then introduced four different BR&E programs which the City could use to accomplish its economic goals. The first program is the Connecting Businesses and Communities Program, performed by the University of MN Extension Services. This program is the most comprehensive of the four programs and would result in a more formal process and report. This program would also be the most expensive option. The second program would be the City of Hugo and Washington County CDA Lead Program. This program would include a business survey, the development and oversite of leadership teams, and the coordination of businesses visits. HBA and EDA members could also partner to help perform business visits and surveys. This option is the least expensive route but is also the most time consuming program option for staff. The third program would be a hybrid between the first and second programs. This third option would allow a more formal and public approach to the program with increased visibility, a neutral party to summarize, and less time consumption for staff. The fourth program consist of informal meetings with the Mayor and staff. This option would be the least time intensive and the lowest cost out of the four programs. Business visits would be conducted without formal surveys or reports. Commissioner Klein asked Eng which of the four programs are the most popular among other cities. Eng stated that the Connecting Businesses and Communities Program is the most popular because of its formality and detailed results. However, Eng also recommended that an option that allows more in-house operations would also be a suitable choice. Commissioner Denaway explained the fact that the City of Hugo is currently in a mode of rapid business expansion and it would be appropriate for the City to adopt a more formal approach when considering BR&E programs. President Weidt stated that if it would be feasible, a hybrid of option 4 with a more formal approach with a survey to evaluate how the City is doing and how the City can help would be the most favored. Commissioner Gallivan also agreed that a more formal approach would be best in terms of BR&E programs. It was decided that the fourth option would be the most fitting program for the City of Hugo. However, the importance of formal reports and surveys cannot be overlooked. As a result, a more formal version of the fourth program option, which entails regularly scheduled meetings was agreed upon by the EDA. Commissioner Puleo mentioned that the use of formal surveys would be valuable because it would allow businesses to ask the questions that they may be reluctant to ask. Administrator Bear mentioned that the fourth program would be best for the City but adding a more formal aspect with an in-house operation would also require a considerable amount of staff time in order to be performed correctly. One solution to this factor would be to hire more interns or temporary employees. Eng agreed that a more formal approach to the fourth program would be well suited for the City of Hugo and plans to have new recommendations before the next EDA meeting. Eng also stated that the bulk of this project will be performed in 2019. UPDATE ON DOWNTOWN REDEVELOPMENT Juba mentioned the recent approval of a draft purchasing agreement between the City and the Cosgroves. This purchase agreement, which includes City owned property, is contingent on the Cosgrove's ability to meet the listed conditions the City has set for the property and approval from the City Council. The Cosgroves have proposed to build a Cozzie's Tavern and Grill on the City owned property. Commissioner Klein asked Eng if there are any manufacturing companies that are showing interest in moving to Hugo. Eng noted that there are multiple manufacturing companies interested in Hugo and that inquiries about available property within Hugo have been increasing over several months. Eng suggested that this is a sign that the local economy is still strong and expects that the number of manufacturing businesses showing an interest in Hugo will continue to increase. ADJOURNMENT Commissioner Denaway made a motion, seconded by Commissioner Klein, to adjourn at 6:01 pm. All ayes. Motion carried. Respectfully submitted. Pierre Giguere, Community Development Intern