Economic Development Commission

MINUTES MEETING OF THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION CITY OF DEKALB January 5, 2018 The Economic Development Commission (EDC) of the City of DeKalb, Illinois held a regular meeting on Friday, January 5, 2018 in the Council Chambers of the DeKalb Municipal Building, 200 South Fourth Street, DeKalb, Illinois. The meeting was called to order at 8:30 a.m. ROLL CALL Roll was recorded by Economic Development Planner, Jason Michnick, and the following members of the Economic Development Commission were present: David Barrow, Tom DeVries, Mohammed Labadi, Jeff Richardson and Mark Sawyer. Absent were Vernese Edghill-Walden, and Trixy O’Flaherty. Also present were City Manager, Anne Marie Gaura, Economic Development Planner, Jason Michnick, and Executive Director of the DeKalb Area Chamber of Commerce, Matt Duffy. APPROVAL OF AGENDA MOTION Mr. Sawyer made a motion to approve the agenda. The motion was seconded by Mr. Labadi. The motion carried on a voice vote. APPROVAL OF MINUTES MOTION Mr. Labadi made a motion to approve the minutes from the December 1, 2017 meeting. Mr. Sawyer seconded the motion. The motion carried on a voice vote. PUBLIC PARTICIPATION Mr. Bill Feldman addressed the commission in regards to whether the City is currently tracking its performance through any specific metrics in regards to economic development. The commission stated that the majority of the previous year was spent developing the 2025 Strategic Plan: Economic Development Implementation Strategy, which did not include any specific metrics, and that staff would report back on a quarterly basis on progress that has been made on the projects and initiatives included in that plan. NEW BUSINESS 1. Promotional Materials – Updating Business Resource Guide Planner Michnick presented the current version of the City’s Business Resource Guide (a copy of which has been attached to the minutes as Exhibit A) to the commission, which has not been updated since April of 2016. The goal is to update the document and give it a fresh look. Planner Michnick also shared that the Citizens’ Community Enhancement Commission had worked with NIU students to make recommendations on a new branding initiative for the City. Community Development is hoping to either hire a part-time intern in 2018, or a marketing firm that has a background in graphic design and could work on creating new promotional materials, including the Business Resource Guide. The commission discussed the existing document and provided feedback to Planner Michnick. In general, the commission felt that the current document was too wordy and there was information that was not necessarily valuable to new businesses that are looking at opening in DeKalb. The commission felt the most valuable information that could be provided at this time would be a check list of requirements that the City has for new businesses looking to locate in the City. The checklist should be comprehensive enough that there are no surprises during any process. This checklist would include information on zoning, permits, licensing, inspections, and building code requirements. The commission recommended that staff work with recent business owners and developers that have gone through the process to learn of any areas where there was confusion or misunderstandings. The commission also requested that examples of other business resource guides be evaluated at a future meeting to see if there are any elements that should be replicated. 2. Truck Services – Needs Assessment for Regional Truck Scale and Service Center Planner Michnick informed the commission that this topic was put on the agenda at the request of Commissioner DeVries, who is the General Manager at the Nestle distribution center. Mr. DeVries shared with the commission a need that Nestle has in regards to accessing a certified truck scale. Given their need, there may be other businesses in the community that share the same need. Currently, carriers are having to travel to Rochelle to weigh their truck. If the truck is overweight, they must return to DeKalb to be reworked. This causes a significant delay in shipping and comes at a cost. The commission discussed working with DCEDC to conduct a needs assessment with county-wide businesses to see if there would be interest in a certified truck scale if it was developed. Additionally, the survey could include questions in regards to other truck services and act as a market survey for a truck stop or service center. There has been past interest from developers to construct a truck stop near the Peace Road interchange, but subdividing large parcels in the area has been a challenge. A market survey that showed a need could help encourage a developer to acquire and subdivide the available land. Planner Michnick stated that he would work with Mr DeVries and Mr. Borek to draft a survey and distribute the survey to area businesses. OLD BUSINESS 1. Annie Glidden North Revitalization Plan Update Planner Michnick provided an update to the commission on the AGN Revitalization Plan process. A task force meeting was held in December and the task force discussed several areas of need. At that meeting, the task force determined that subcommittees should be formed to have smaller groups concentrate on specific areas of need. The next task force meeting will take place later in January, and an update will be provided at the next EDC meeting in February. 2. Tax Increment Financing Update Mr. Sawyer recused himself from the conversation and left the meeting at 9:55. Planner Michnick updated the commission on the process of the new TIF district. City Council approved a contract with SB Friedman to conduct an eligibility analysis for the proposed Central Business District (CBD) TIF. The results of that study will be available in approximately 6-8 weeks. City Council will also be having a discussion at the January 22, 2018 Committee of the Whole meeting in regards to the CBD TIF and the expiration of the existing TIF districts. An update will be provided at the next meeting. ADJOURNMENT MOTION Mr. Richardson moved to adjourn the meeting, seconded by Mr. DeVries. Motion carried on voice vote. The meeting adjourned at 10:10 a.m. ________________________________ Respectfully Submitted by Jason Michnick, Economic Development Planner Minutes approved by the Economic Development Commission on February 2, 2018.