Economic Development Commission
Regular MeetingDeKalb, IL · January 4, 2019
Minutes
MINUTES
CITY OF DEKALB
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION
JANUARY 4, 2019
The Economic Development Commission (EDC) of the City of DeKalb, Illinois held a
regular meeting on Friday, January 4, 2019 in the Executive Conference Room of the
DeKalb Municipal Building, 200 South Fourth Street, DeKalb, Illinois.
The meeting was called to order at 8:33 a.m.
ROLL CALL
Roll was recorded by Economic Development Planner, Jason Michnick, and the following
members of the Economic Development Commission were present: Trixy O’Flaherty,
Sam Walt, Jeff Richardson, Vernese Edghill-Walden, and Mark Sawyer. Not present was
Mohammed Labadi
Also present were Alderman, Pat Fagan; Executive Director of the DeKalb County
Economic Development Corporation, Paul Borek; Executive Director of the DeKalb
Chamber of Commerce, Matt Duffy; Community Development Director, Jo Ellen Charlton;
and Mayor, Jerry Smith.
APPROVAL OF AGENDA
MOTION
Mr. Sawyer made a motion to approve the agenda as posted. The motion was seconded
by Mr. Richardson. The motion was approved by voice vote.
APPROVAL OF MINUTES
MOTION
Mr. Walt made a motion to approve the minutes from the December 7, 2018 meeting. Mr.
Sawyer seconded the motion. The motion carried on a voice vote.
PUBLIC PARTICIPATION
None.
NEW BUSINESS
1. Review of Chapter 59 and EDC Goal Setting for 2019
The commission engaged in a conversation about their role and duties, as it relates to the
ordinance creating the Economic Development Commission. A specific topic that stood
out was industry representation and the commission discussed possible industries to
Economic Development Commission Minutes
January 4, 2019
Page 2 of 3
recruit new commissioners from when appointments had expired, such as banking and
larger employers (e.g. Nestle, Target, 3M, etc.). Multiple appointments expire at the end
of June 2019 and there is currently one vacancy that has not been filled.
The commission also discussed the types of topics that they should be discussing on a
monthly basis. The first year that the commission was reconstituted, a majority of
meetings were spent on strategic planning. The past year the commission felt that they
got “into the weeds” on several topics and it would be beneficial to step back and look at
everything from a “30,000-foot level”. When needed, the commission could engage in
specific topics when the City Council requests a recommendation on a specific topic or
policy. Mayor Smith stated that the Council values the input and recommendation from
the EDC and if the group is hearing things in the community, they should discuss it and
make recommendations on policy to Council.
The commission determined that there was not a desire to provide recommendation to
Council on the approval of a specific project, rather they would like to look at several
related projects that have occurred in the past year and develop policy recommendations
from their analysis. The commission felt that this would prevent making policy
recommendations arbitrarily or understanding the application of a specific policy. If
Council will be considering a policy change that impacts business, the commission would
like to review the consideration prior to final approval by Council. An example of an
upcoming policy discussion by Council is changes to the sign code.
The Community Development Department makes revisions to the Unified Development
Ordinance twice a year. The commission would like to review those proposed changes
that impact economic development or business along with the Planning and Zoning
Commission.
2. Discussion on City Business Retention Strategies
Mr. Borek provided an overview of the retention survey tool that the DCEDC uses, which
is made available by ComEd. It is a form that is used to meet with executives and owners
of businesses to identify the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats of the
business climate. One of the forms that is available for use is called the Main Street
Survey Tool and is designed for surveying retail and service businesses (compared to
manufacturing and industrial).
The DCEDC has a retention committee that participates in the actual retention visits. Staff
coordinates the visits and interviews, and committee members participate in the actual
interviews. Mr. Walt participates in the DCEDC committee and stated that the visits and
process is time consuming but valuable.
The commission discussed how to rollout a similar program with retail businesses in the
City of DeKalb. It was determined that the commission would like to do a random sample
of businesses every couple of years, not have an ongoing program. Planner Michnick will
develop a list of possible businesses to choose from for the sample and the commission
will review the Main Street Survey Tool and the topic will be discussed at the next meeting
in February.
Economic Development Commission Minutes
January 4, 2019
Page 3 of 3
ADJOURNMENT
MOTION
Mr. Richardson made a motion to adjourn, seconded by Ms. Walt. The motion carried on
a voice vote and the meeting was adjourned at 9:54 a.m.
Minutes Taken by Economic Development Planner Jason Michnick.
Minutes Transcribed by Executive Assistant Ruth Scott.
Approved by the Economic Development Commission: March 1, 2019.
Agenda
DeKalb Municipal Building
PLEASE NOTE LOCATION
Executive Conference Room, Second Floor
200 South Fourth Street
DeKalb, Illinois 60115
AGENDA
Regular Meeting
Economic Development Commission
January 4, 2019
8:30 a.m.
A. Roll Call
B. Approval of Agenda
C. Approval of Minutes – December 7, 2018 Meeting
D. Public Participation
E. New Business
1. Review of Chapter 59 and EDC Goal Setting for 2019
2. Discussion on City Business Retention Strategies
F. Old Business
G. Adjourn
MINUTES
MEETING OF THE
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION
CITY OF DEKALB
December 7, 2018
The Economic Development Commission (EDC) of the City of DeKalb, Illinois held a
regular meeting on Friday, December 7, 2018 in the Ellwood Conference Room of the
DeKalb Municipal Building, 200 South Fourth Street, DeKalb, Illinois.
The meeting was called to order at 8:31 a.m.
ROLL CALL
Roll was recorded by Economic Development Planner, Jason Michnick, and the following
members of the Economic Development Commission were present: Trixy O’Flaherty,
Sam Walt, Mohammed Labadi, Vernese Edghill-Walden, and Mark Sawyer. Not present
was Jeff Richardson.
Also present were Alderman, Pat Fagan; Executive Director of the DeKalb County
Economic Development Corporation, Paul Borek; Transit Manager, Marcus Cox.
APPROVAL OF AGENDA
MOTION
Mr. Walt made a motion to approve the agenda as posted. The motion was seconded by
Mr. Sawyer. The motion was approved by voice vote.
APPROVAL OF MINUTES
MOTION
Mr. Sawyer made a motion to approve the minutes from the November 2, 2018 meeting.
Mr. Labadi seconded the motion. The motion carried on a voice vote.
PUBLIC PARTICIPATION
Bessie Chronopoulus addressed the commission and stated that while the City needed
to strive to be business friendly, it should not come at the cost of ignoring existing codes
and regulations. If high quality is demanded, high quality businesses will be attracted to
the City. She also stated that the City has not been active enough in its retention efforts
and encouraged the commission to discuss retention strategies in the future.
The commission discussed various retention strategies that have been used in the past,
or with other organizations such as the DCEDC. In the past the commission has
discussed inviting business owners or developers to a commission meeting. Recruiting
guest speakers has been difficult because they are not comfortable stating their concerns
or issues publicly, but the commission will continue to make attempts at reaching out to
have conversations with the business community and bring their feedback to the rest of
the commission.
Mr. Borek also informed the group that one of the Comprehensive Economic
Development Strategy (CEDS) working groups was discussing the concept of a “business
friendly” climate that is consistent countywide. He also informed the commission that the
DCEDC retention groups have a specific survey tool that could be utilized for future
discussions. The commission requested to review that survey at a future meeting.
OLD BUSINESS
1. Park 88 Transit Route Update
Mr. Cox informed the commission that the City and DCEDC representatives held a meeting with
the managers of several of the businesses located in or near Park 88 to discuss a proposed fixed
route that would serve that area. Currently, the transit network does not have any routes that go
to the Park 88 area. The route that was proposed at that meeting was designed to align with the
shift changes times of the different businesses. Shift times were provided via survey prior to the
meeting, which allowed the transit team to evaluate and design the proposed route.
The next step will be for those businesses to survey their employees about whether they would
consider using the new route in an effort to measure possible demand. Understanding demand is
critical to making sure there would be adequate buses available for the routes. It is anticipated
that survey results will be available in early 2019.
The commission was also informed that the route would be eligible to be funded by the federal
grant that the City receives for the transit system, up to 65% of the total cost of implementation.
The remaining 35% could be funded by those businesses if they choose to participate in funding.
Due to Voluntary Action Committee’s participation in the route, funding from the businesses could
qualify as a possible tax-deductible donation. If the businesses are unwilling to participate, the
City could consider possible fundraising strategies to cover the remaining cost of implementation.
2. Discussion and Recommendation of Projects for DeKalb County Community
Foundation Economic Development Grant
Planner Michnick informed the commission that he received a quote from OC Creative for the
design work of three different documents in both English and Spanish, totaling approximately
$9,000. Planner Michnick believes this would be the higher end of possible design costs, but also
in the quality of design. Another document that OC Creative has designed for the City was shared
with the commission. If the commission were to choose to move forward with OC Creative, the
balance of the grant would go towards production of the actual documents.
The commission also discussed possible alternatives that would be free or low-cost, such as
working with Northern Illinois University’s Creative Services or a design class. Ms. Edghill-Walden
stated that she would check on the possibility of receiving in-kind services from NIU and report
back to Planner Michnick. The commission felt that this would be a better approach if NIU was
willing to provide the service in-kind.
Mr. Sawyer made a motion to recommend that the City apply for the remaining $11,000 in DeKalb
County Community Foundation Economic Development Grant funding for the design and
production of material that informs residents about the transit network changes and other
resources that are available in the community. The motion was seconded by Ms. Edghill-Walden.
The motion was approved 6-0.
ADJOURNMENT
MOTION
Mr. Sawyer made a motion to adjourn, seconded by Ms. Edghill-Walden. The motion
carried on a voice vote and the meeting was adjourned at 9:58 a.m.
________________________________
Respectfully Submitted by
Jason Michnick, Economic Development Planner