Minutes; Economic Development; December 2006

CITY OF EVANSVILLE
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE


MINUTES

Regular Meeting

Tuesday, December 19, 2006
5:30 p.m.




1. Roll call. The meeting was called to order by chair Wyse at 5:34 p.m. Present: John Decker, Cheryl Dickert, Fred Juergens, Tony Wyse. Absent: Gene Bass, Roger Berg, Dave Olsen, James Otterstein. Also present: Richard Woulfe, Mayor Sandy Decker.

2. Approval of agenda. The agenda, as distributed, was approved without objection.

3. Approval of minutes of November 21, 2006 regular meeting. So moved by Juergens, seconded by Decker. Approved by voice vote.

4. Citizen appearances, other than on items listed below. None.

5. Economy Store CDBG update. The developers met with the mayor yesterday; a meeting will be held in the near future among the city's financial advoisor, city engineering firm, the developers and representatives of the Department of Commerce to discuss technical requirements of the grant.

6. Update on CDBG for additional streetscape funding. The city's engineering firm will finalize and submit the application.

7. Discussion re: Rock County Planning & Development Agency. Fred Juergens distributed copies of James Otterstein's e-mail response to his inquiry re: listing of Evansville on the Rock County website. Further discussion deferred in the absence of Mr. Otterstein.

8. Update on trade market analysis. Deferred.

9. Update on downtown promotional activity for Main Street reconstruction. John Decker will contact Evansville Community Partnership to learn of its interest in coordinating or furnishing volunteers to assemble and distribute promotional materials for community businesses on a door-to-door basis in the spring.

10. Report from Downtown Reconstruction Task Force. An informational meeting will be held at Hagen Insurance on December 21 to give business owners and operators an opportunity to see the streetscape plan and to ask questions and give direct input to the City Engineer and to the Public Works Director. The Task Force continues to concentrate on signage and promotional issues.

11. Review of committee's 2006 budget. Juergens moved, seconded by Dickert, to authorize expenditure not-to-exceed $500.00 from the committee's 2006 budget for the web camera to be installed on the Union Bank & Trust building; and to authorize expenditure not-to-exceed $1,500 from the City's 2006 line-item budget for the city's web site for web site design services presently being conducted. Approved by voice vote.

Motion by Decker, seconded by Juergens, to authorize expenditure of any remaining balance of the committee's 2006 budget for promotional materials to be obtained by the Downtown Reconstruction Task Force. Approved by voice vote.

12. Discussion of business development summit. The following recommendations were made by consensus:

• The goal of the summit should be to produce an economic development plan for the Evansville community. All businesses, large and small, and within and outside the corporate limits of the City will be urged to attend.

• Significant attention should be paid to revitalization of the community's business environment post-completion of the Main Street project.

• Discussion should be had as to attraction of new businesses to the community, growth of existing businesses, and encouragement of the establishment of "branch" businesses in Evansville.

• The summit should be held shortly after commencement of the Main Street project, but so as not to conflict with the Energy Fair. Schedule and budget will be discussed at the January committee meeting.

• The program should be held at the High School, should have an outside facilitator, and should include plenary and breakout sessions.

• The chair will contact Bert Stitt prior to the January meeting to discuss fees and ideas for format and content.

• A "field trip" to a successful local community (e.g., Stoughton, Milton or Mt. Horeb) might be instructive.

13. Continuing review of Smart Growth Comprehensive Plan. The chair will bring copies of the "Objectives" portion of Chapter 12 of the Plan, as pertains to economic development, to the January meeting to help focus discussion.

14. Adjournment. Juergens moved, seconded by Decker, to adjourn to the next regular monthly meeting in January. Approved by voice vote at 7:17 p.m.


Respectfully submitted,


John Decker, Secretary

Note: Meeting minutes are not official until approved at a subsequent meeting of the committee.