Economic Development Council

BLUE SPRINGS ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL SPECIAL MEETING NOVEMBER 18, 2020 – 8:00 A.M. Public Telephone Conference (816) 743-4875 – Conference ID: 854 655 700# PLEASE NOTE: Pursuant to Jackson County Executive Order dated March 12, 2020 and subsequent amendments requiring residents to stay at home and limiting public gatherings, this meeting will be conducted by taking safe social distancing measures as required by the Order. For this meeting, the public may attend via telephone conference (816-743-4875, Conference ID: 854 655 700#) as provided in Section 610.020(4) RSMo. Members of the Economic Development Council will be participating via telephone conference as provided in Section 610.020(1) RSMo. 1. Call Meeting to Order 2. Approval of August 26, 2020 Meeting Minutes 3. Introduction of Members 4. Covid-19 Response and City Operations 5. Project and Development Update 6. Review 2020 Business Survey 7. Visitors 8. Adjourn NEXT MEETING: December 16, 2020 – 8:00 A.M. If special accommodations are required for citizen participation at this meeting please call (816)228-0111 Posted Thursday, November 13, 2020 at City Hall, 903 W Main Street, Blue Springs, MO and on the City’s website. A quorum of the City Council may be in attendance, however no City Council votes will be taken. Brandon Keller Economic Development Manager  CITY OF BLUE SPRINGS, MISSOURI MINUTES OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL MEETING Wednesday, August 26, 2019 A State of Emergency for Jackson County, Missouri was declared on March 12, 2020 and subsequent amendments by Jackson County Executive Order requiring residents to stay at home and limiting public gatherings to reduce the spread of the COVID-19 virus. As provided in Sections 610.020(1) and 610.020(4) RSMo., the Economic Development Council participated in this meeting via tele-conference to ensure safe social distancing measures were taken. The public was able to attend as well via tele-conference. A meeting of the Blue Springs Economic Development Council was held at 8:00 a.m. on Wednesday, August 26, 2020, via tele-conference. The following members, guest and staff were in attendance with Becky Nace, Chair presiding. COUNCIL Justin Beal Erika Lucas MEMBERS Jeff Grote Dave Meyer PRESENT James McCullough Lyle Shaver Taylor Warwick Lara Vermillion Joey Zarrillo, Vice Chairperson Michael Scott Becky Nace, Chairperson STAFF Eric Johnson, City Administrator & Mike Mallon, Acting Director, Community Development OTHER Jerry Kaylor, Council Liaison, Dist. 1 ATTENDEES Susan Culpepper, Councilmember, Dist. 2 Sheryl Morgan, City Clerk Karen Findora, Administrative Assistant, Community Development Kim Poertner, sitting in for Kirk Sampson (non-voting) ABSENT Councilmember Drew Grossman Councilmember Brett Miller Councilmember Kirk Sampson ROLL CALL Mike Mallon, Acting Director, Community Development conducted a roll call. CALL MEETING Chair Becky Nace called the Economic Development Council meeting to order TO ORDER at 8:00 a.m. APPROVAL OF Mr. Mallon informed the Council that the December 18, 2019 meeting minutes MINUTES were not recorded, due to the transition of staff departure. Therefore, there are no meeting minutes for December 18, 2019. Councilmember Michael Scott moved to approve the minutes of the October 16, 2019 EDC meeting. Motion seconded by Councilmember Meyer and carried with the following votes: June 19, 2019 Economic Development Council Page 2 Councilmember Beal - Aye Councilmember Shaver – Aye Councilmember Grossman – Absent Councilmember Lucas - Aye Councilmember Grote - Aye Councilmember Sampson – Absent Councilmember McCullough - Aye Councilmember Vermillion – Aye Councilmember Warwick – Aye Councilmember Meyer – Aye Vice Chairperson Joey Zarrillo – Aye Councilmember Scott – Aye Chairperson Becky Nace - Aye Councilmember Miller – Absent (APPROVED 11-Aye – 0-No) INTRODUCTION Erika Lucas – Sandy’s Restaurant OF NEW Lyle Shaver – Spring Oak Property Management MEMBERS COVID-19 Eric Johnson, City Administrator provided an update on the Covid-19 RESPONSE & response and City operations. Mr. Johnson informed the Council that City CITY Hall is currently closed. The City Council and Planning Commission have OPERATIONS recently gone back to meeting in person. Staff has made numerous adjustments to accommodate public hearings. Mr. Johnson expressed his gratitude for the Planning, Codes, and Public Works departments, as they have adjusted their work and lives around the pandemic to keep the City up and running. The City continues to see good numbers with Commercial and Residential development. Lara Vermillion, Blue Springs Chamber of Commerce, stated that their Covid- 19 Task Force meet twice a month to work towards a common theme about how the recovery process is taking place in the business community. The Task Force came up with a slogan, “Blue Springs Strong” (#bluespringsstrong) The Chamber worked with the Examiner on a survey to ask the community what was most concerning to people in the immediate area as they try to re-enter stores or establishments. The outcome was people were more concerned with large gatherings and whether people were wearing mask. Ms. Vermillion stated that with the assistance of Miranda Austerman, Communications Manager, City of Blue Springs and Jamie Russell, Anthem Photography there will be positive stories written about Blue Springs businesses and what they have been doing during the pandemic. The first story will be written featuring Sandy’s Restaurant. Chief Jeffrey Grote expressed his gratitude for fellow Fire Fighters, EMT, etc. CJC has been hit hard with Covid-19. Mr. Johnson followed the conversation up by stating that the City is following Jackson County’s recommendations to the pandemic until instructed otherwise. The City is receiving an allocation of 3.3 Million dollars from the Federal CARES Act. The City will be working with the County to come up with a budget on how those funds will be dispersed. Mr. Johnson stated that the Police Dept. is open, Vesper Hall has recently been turned into a Covid testing facility in partnership with the County. The Blue Springs Field House remains open with social distancing requirements, and the Adams Pointe Golf Course opened several weeks ago. PROJECT AND Mr. Mallon presented a PowerPoint on the Project Activity Report for DEVELOPMENT December 2019 – July 2020. UPDATE • Employment Projects: Blue Springs Logistics Center and Ambrose Redevelopment 2 June 19, 2019 Economic Development Council Page 3 OTHER • Project Updates: KC Bobcat, BS Marine, Discover Visions, Tidal BUSINESS Wave Car Wash, Old Navy, Smoothie King, Verdad Self-Storage, Dental Depot, Stortroplis, New City Sign Code, CSS, City software • Residential Project Updates: Cambridge Park, Eagle’s Creek, Luxe One, Remington Place, Hoot Owl Ridge • Haldex & GPI – Relocating to Mexico To date the Building Permit Dept. has issued 128 rooftop permits and 37 commercial permits. Total Building Activity to date: • 946.160 sq. ft. • $45,336,368 Construction Cost. Chairperson Nace thanked Mr. Johnson, Mr. Mallon and their staff for keeping business moving in the wake of the pandemic. OTHER BUSINESS Councilmember Joey Zarrillo stated that several homes throughout Blue Springs need to conduct property maintenance. He requested that the City focus on the current home property maintenance code. Mr. Mallon stated that staff could work with the Communications Manager to get information out to the website concerning property maintenance. Councilmember Liaison Kaylor informed Mr. Zarrillo that the property he spoke on is currently going through the Code Enforcement process. EDC Annual Report – The EDC January 2020 Annual Report was included in the agenda packet for January 2020 review. Please direct any questions or comments to Mike Mallon. EDC position update Mr. Johnson provided the Council an update on the EDC Director position. A total of 15 applications were submitted, three of which will be brought in for interviews. VISITORS Laura Bowman, Blue Ridge Bank ADJOURNMENT At 8:58 a.m. there was no further business to come before the Economic Development Council; Councilmember Grote moved the meeting be adjourned. Motion seconded by Councilmember Vermillion and carried unanimously. ___________________________________ Rebecca Nace, Chairman ATTEST: ___________________________________________ Karen Findora, Admin. Assistant – Community Development 3  2020 Blue Springs Business Survey Please take a few minutes to complete this survey in the next 10 days. Your input is an important part of the City's effort to involve the business community in City decision-making. You may return this survey in the enclosed postage-paid envelope. You may also complete the survey online at: www.bluespringsbusinesssurvey.org . Part 1: CITY SERVICE DELIVERY 1. How would you rate the City of Blue Springs overall as a place to do business? ____(5) Excellent ____(3) Average ____(1) Poor ____(4) Good ____(2) Below Average ____(9) Don’t Know 2. Please rate your satisfaction with the following services on a scale of 1 to 5, where 5 means "Very Satisfied" and 1 means "Very Dissatisfied", with regard to how they affect your business' ability to operate. Very Very How satisfied are you with... Satisfied Satisfied Neutral Dissatisfied Dissatisfied Don't Know 01. Police services 5 4 3 2 1 9 02. Fire services 5 4 3 2 1 9 03. Street maintenance, including sidewalks, medians and curbs 5 4 3 2 1 9 04. Street lighting 5 4 3 2 1 9 05. Street sweeping/cleanliness of public areas 5 4 3 2 1 9 06. Stormwater drainage/flood management 5 4 3 2 1 9 07. Enforcement of codes and ordinances 5 4 3 2 1 9 08. Effectiveness of City communication with businesses 5 4 3 2 1 9 09. Quality of customer service provided by City employees 5 4 3 2 1 9 10. Effectiveness of the Chamber of Commerce with businesses 5 4 3 2 1 9 Effectiveness of the Economic Development Council with 11. 5 4 3 2 1 9 businesses 3. Which THREE of the City services listed in Question 2 are MOST IMPORTANT to your business? [Write-in your answers below using the numbers from the list in Question 2.] 1st: ____ 2nd: ____ 3rd: ____ 4. Please indicate whether your business has interacted with City staff from the areas listed below during the past year. And if "Yes", please rate their performance in that area. Have you had contact with If "Yes", please rate The City's performance. Type of Staff/Department Below staff in this area? Excellent Good Average Average Poor Don't Know 01. Building Codes Yes No 5 4 3 2 1 9 02. Property Maintenance Yes No 5 4 3 2 1 9 03. Community Development Yes No 5 4 3 2 1 9 04. City Administrator’s Office Yes No 5 4 3 2 1 9 05. Police Yes No 5 4 3 2 1 9 06. Fire Yes No 5 4 3 2 1 9 07. Public Works (streets/traffic) Yes No 5 4 3 2 1 9 08. Stormwater Yes No 5 4 3 2 1 9 Economic Development 09. Yes No 5 4 3 2 1 9 Council 10. Chamber of Commerce Yes No 5 4 3 2 1 9 ©2020 ETC Institute Page 1 5. Please indicate whether your business has interacted with the City of Blue Springs during the past year related to the following services. If "Yes," please rate the City's performance in that area. Have you had this type Excellent Below Don't Type/Area of Contact Good Average Average Poor Know of contact with the City? 01. Zoning/development review Yes No 5 4 3 2 1 9 02. Pre-occupancy safety inspections Yes No 5 4 3 2 1 9 03. Construction/building permits or inspections Yes No 5 4 3 2 1 9 04. Fire inspections Yes No 5 4 3 2 1 9 05. Occupational/business licensing Yes No 5 4 3 2 1 9 6. Is there an area or service you wish the City, EDC or Chamber of Commerce would provide, which is not currently being provided to your business? If so, please explain: __________________________________________________________________________________ Part 2: PERCEPTIONS OF THE CITY, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL, CHAMBER OF COMMERCE 7. Using a scale of 1 to 5, where 5 means "Very Satisfied" and 1 means "Very Dissatisfied", please rate your satisfaction with the following in the City of Blue Springs. Very Very Satisfied Neutral Dissatisfied Don't Know Satisfied Dissatisfied 01. Image of the City 5 4 3 2 1 9 02. Quality of life in the City 5 4 3 2 1 9 03. Quality of services provided by the City 5 4 3 2 1 9 04. Overall value your company receives for your local taxes and fees 5 4 3 2 1 9 05. Overall feeling of safety in the City 5 4 3 2 1 9 06. Quality of new development in the City 5 4 3 2 1 9 07. Quality of local schools 5 4 3 2 1 9 08. Availability of parking for your business 5 4 3 2 1 9 09. Access to quality housing options for your workforce 5 4 3 2 1 9 10. Availability of trained employees 5 4 3 2 1 9 11. Access to highways through Blue Springs 5 4 3 2 1 9 12. Access to the airport 5 4 3 2 1 9 13. Proximity to other businesses that are important to your business 5 4 3 2 1 9 14. Reliability of public utilities 5 4 3 2 1 9 Availability of libraries, arts, sports, and cultural amenities (quality 15. 5 4 3 2 1 9 of life) Availability of telecommunications, utilities, and other 16. 5 4 3 2 1 9 infrastructure 17. Availability of parks and open space 5 4 3 2 1 9 18. Quality/attractiveness of downtown 5 4 3 2 1 9 Quality of services provided by the Economic Development 19. 5 4 3 2 1 9 Council 20. Quality of services provided by the Chamber of Commerce 5 4 3 2 1 9 ©2020 ETC Institute Page 2 8. Which FOUR of the items listed in Question 7 will have the MOST IMPACT on your decision to stay in the City of Blue Springs for the next 10 years? [Write-in your answers below using the numbers from the list in Question 7.] 1st: ____ 2nd: ____ 3rd: ____ 4th: ___ 9. Thinking generally about the City of Blue Springs, how likely would you be to recommend the City of Blue Springs as a business location to friends, family, co-workers, colleagues, and other businesses? ____(5) Very Likely ____(3) Somewhat Likely ____(1) Not Likely at All ____(4) Likely ____(2) Not Likely ____(9) Don't Know 10. Which of the following best describes the overall business atmosphere in the City of Blue Springs today, compared to five years ago? ____(4) Better ____(2) No change, but poor ____(9) Don't Know/Unsure ____(3) No change, but good ____(1) Worse 11. Which of the following best describes the downtown business atmosphere in the City of Blue Springs today, compared to five years ago? ____(4) Better ____(2) No change, but poor ____(9) Don't Know/Unsure ____(3) No change, but good ____(1) Worse 12. What are the community’s strengths as a place to do business? _______________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________ 13. What are the community’s weaknesses as a place to do business? ____________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________ Part 3: WORKFORCE ISSUES 14. Please rate the workforce in the City of Blue Springs in the following areas. Excellent Good Average Below Average Poor Don't Know 01. The availability of workers 5 4 3 2 1 9 02. The quality of workers 5 4 3 2 1 9 03. The stability of the workforce 5 4 3 2 1 9 04. The education/technical skills of workers 5 4 3 2 1 9 Part 4: CODES AND REGULATIONS 15. Using a scale of 1 to 5, where a 5 is "Very Satisfied" and a 1 is "Very Dissatisfied," please rate your satisfaction with the following City codes and regulations related specifically to the Business Development Corridors. Very Very Satisfied Neutral Dissatisfied Don't Know Satisfied Dissatisfied 01. The condition and maintenance of existing signage 5 4 3 2 1 9 02. The condition and maintenance of business properties 5 4 3 2 1 9 The adequacy of existing City signage codes and 03. 5 4 3 2 1 9 regulations ©2020 ETC Institute Page 3  The adequacy of existing business property maintenance 04. 5 4 3 2 1 9 codes and regulations 05. Existing levels of City code and regulation enforcement 5 4 3 2 1 9 16. How would you best describe the cost of doing business in the City of Blue Springs? ____ (5) Extremely low ____ (3) Average ____ (1) Extremely high ____ (4) Low ____ (2) High ____ (9) Don’t Know Part 5: FUTURE PLANS 17. In the next 12 months, is your business considering any of the following? [Check all that apply.] ____(1) Expanding/renovating in the City of Blue Springs ____(2) Hiring additional staff in the City of Blue Springs ____(3) Relocating to another location in the City of Blue Springs ____(4) Relocating to another location outside the City of Blue Springs ____(5) Downsizing ____(6) Closing ____(7) None of these ____(8) Don't know 18. Have your company’s future plans been altered because of the Covid-19 pandemic? (1) Yes _____ (2) No _____ (3) Don’t Know _____ 19. What best describes the impact that the Covid-19 pandemic has had upon your business? (1) Significant _____ (2) Moderate _____ (3) Minimal _____ (4) None _____ 20. What best describes how long the Covid-19 pandemic will have an impact upon the economy of Blue Springs? (1) Long-term (2+ years) _____ (2) Short-term (1-2 years) _____ 21. Where is your company’s primary product/service in its life cycle? (1) Emerging _____ (2) Maturing _____ (3) Growing _____ (4) Declining _____ 22. What best describes your company’s total sales: (1) Increasing _____ (2) Stable _____ (3) Decreasing _____ 23. Are new products/services anticipated for your company in the next two (2) years? (1) Yes _____ (2) No _____ 24. Are there any barriers to your company’s growth in Blue Springs? (1) Yes _____ (2) No _____ If yes, what are they? __________________________________________________________ ©2020 ETC Institute Page 4 25. Does your business have an online presence? (1) Yes _____ (Go to question 26) (2) No _____ (Answer question 25a) 25a. (Only if NO to question 25) Would you be willing to participate in a multi-business online retail platform if it was created? (1) Yes_____ (2) No_____ 26. What should the City, EDC and the Chamber of Commerce market as Blue Springs’s Regional Strengths? _________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________ 27. What can the City, EDC and the Chamber of Commerce do to help make your business successful? __________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________ Part 6. DEMOGRAPHICS 28. Does your business own or rent/lease the facility where your business is located? ____(1) Own ____(2) Rent/Lease ____(9) Don't Know 29. How many people does your business currently employ in the City of Blue Springs? Total # Full Time: ________ Total # Part Time: ________ 30. How many years has your business been in the City of Blue Springs? ______ years 31. Which of the following best describes your business/organization’s sector? ____(01) Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting ____(12) Real Estate and Rental Leasing ____(02) Administrative Support Services ____(13) Professional, Scientific & Technical Services ____(03) Utilities ____(14) Management of Companies and Enterprises ____(04) Construction ____(15) Waste Management, Remediation Services ____(05) Communications ____(16) Educational Services ____(06) Manufacturing ____(17) Health Care and Social Assistance ____(07) Wholesaler/Distributor ____(18) Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation ____(08) Retail Trade ____(19) Developer ____(09) Transportation/Warehousing ____(20) Public Administration ____(10) Information and Advertising ____(21) Hotels and Restaurants ____(11) Finance and Insurance ____(22) Other 32. Which of the following best describes your position with your business? Owner _____ CFO _____ Manager _____ Other _____ 33. What best describes your company’s primary market: Local _____ Regional _____ National _____ International _____ ©2020 ETC Institute Page 5 To receive future communication from the City, EDC and the Chamber of Commerce, please provide your contact information below. Name: _________________________________________________________ Business Name: __________________________________________________ Phone: _________________________________________________________ Email: __________________________________________________________ This concludes the survey – Thank you for your time! Please return your completed survey in the enclosed return-reply envelope addressed to: ETC Institute, 725 W. Frontier Circle, Olathe, KS 66061 6  March 2020 Dear Blue Springs Business: The City Council has authorized a survey of our business community, which you will find enclosed. The survey is designed, distributed, and analyzed by a professional survey company, ETC Institute. We are working with ETC as our survey professionals. While they are located in the Kansas City area, ETC conducts surveys such as this for municipalities nationwide. In addition to the beneficial information we will receive from each of you, ETC’s participation gives us the added benefit of comparing Blue Springs business responses with those of businesses in other cities, further assisting in the analysis of what our business community thinks about the City and the services it provides. On behalf of the City Council, I ask for your help by taking a few minutes to complete the enclosed survey. As only one survey can be received per business, we urge you to participate in this survey of the business community. Please be assured that the City will never see any individual survey, and that your survey response will be held in complete confidence by ETC. Your feedback is critical to us as we seek to obtain a better understanding of your impressions of the Blue Springs community. You can return the survey in the enclosed postage-paid envelope to ETC INSTITUTE, 725 W Frontier Circle, Olathe, KS 66061. If you prefer, you can complete the survey online at www.bluespringsbusinesssurvey.org. If you have questions, please contact Brandon Keller, Economic Development Manager at (816) 622-4006 or via e-mail at bkeller@bluespringsgov.com. We thank you in advance for taking part in making Blue Springs a better community. Sincerely, Mayor City Administrator Carson Ross Eric Johnson Your responses will remain completely confidential. The address information printed to the right will ONLY be used to help identify areas with specific needs. Thank you. 7