Town and Gown Committee

TOWN AND GOWN COMMITTEE MEETING 12:00pm TUESDAY – JANUARY 11, 2022 VIRGINIA PENINSULA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE MINUTES I. Call to Order Chairman McKenna welcomed everyone and called the meeting to order at 12:10 p.m. II. Roll Call Chairman McKenna asked the Clerk to call the roll: Members Present: Ann Bane, Tracy Ashley, Mark Crump, Beth Dickens, Mary Fugere, Andrew Green, Eric Harrell, Steve Mallon, Bob McKenna, Pamela Richardson, Darren Robinson, Raymond Tripp Staff Present: Annette Oakley, Joshua Everard Guest: Shay Claxton (Hampton Roads Workforce Council), Jeff Thorud (Bryant & Stratton) Chairman McKenna asked members and guests to introduce themselves. III. Approve December 14, 2021 Meeting Minutes Chairman McKenna stated the draft minutes from the December 14, 2021 meeting were distributed for review, and if there are no changes called for a motion to approve. ACTION: Raymond Tripp made the motion to accept the minutes, and Eric Harrell seconded. All in favor; minutes were approved. IV. S.W.O.T. Analysis: Chairman McKenna stated he wants to focus on the purpose of the Town and Gown Committee. He read the current purpose and stated he feels the committee’s purpose is to help make the city/locality a better place to live, work, play, visit, and be educated. He asked members, as we do the SWOT Analysis, to please keep the focus in mind. He shared his first experiences with the Virginia Peninsula Chamber of Commerce (VPCC) and some examples of their S.W.O.T.:  Strengths – Small, but diligent and talented staff; large, talented Board of Directors that represents the business community; a small, focused Executive Committee; enthusiastic partners  Weaknesses – limited staff; missing partners (now on board); limited budget; five unique municipalities (which is also a strength)  Opportunities – local business leaders looking to lead; ‘Blueprint Virginia’ (economic growth program); sense for more collaboration  Threats – Complacency; talk-not act; parochialism Chairman McKenna then asked the committee to do the S.W.O.T. Analysis for the Town and Gown: 1  TOWN & GOWN COMMITTEE S.W.O.T. ANALYSIS  Strengths  Organizational diversity/perspectives  Consistent in efforts  Willing to work together/collaborate  Knowledge, including historical  Experience  A shared love of Hampton  Expanding networks  Weaknesses  Lack of constant participation  Lack of continuity/consistent vision  Disconnectedness – need subcommittees  What is focus/goal/objective?  Vagueness of bylaws/purpose  Lack of strategic objectives  COVID/momentum killer  No budget/lack of funding Committee Discussion/Comments/Suggestions:  Need everyone (various entities) focused on same goals/objectives  Invite guest speakers to the meetings to spark interest/involvement  We may need a strategic plan moving forward; participating when people go on and off board  Would like to see more initiatives with Bryant & Stratton (tours/events), as with Hampton University and Thomas Nelson Community College  We need proactive involvement  Suggestion to get all committee members focused on the same wave length  Seamless marketing, communications for example  Meeting once a month – how to keep objective? – Suggested having subcommittees  Review bylaws and make them specific  Lack of clarity on direction/goal – need a common goal and understand how to accomplish (break down)  If we have a goal, City of Hampton may be open to funding – possibly a 501(c)3  Josh Everard did research on two items, per last meeting discussion: 1. Bylaw Changes: If the Committee wanted to change the membership or bylaws, he did not find where it would require City Council action, but the City Manager’s Office should be aware and generally approving of the changes.  Committee members commented on the importance of having City Council and City Manager representation at each meeting. 2. 501(c)3 – He gave an example of a 501(c)3 in the Town of Bridgewater, where there is a community center with a theatre. Members of the town government were made ex-officio officers of the 501c3 and they would appoint the business community who raised funds, with appropriate check-offs. There may be different ways it can be structured. 2  Chairman McKenna continued the S.W.O.T. Analysis with the committee: TOWN & GOWN COMMITTEE S.W.O.T. ANALYSIS (Continued)  Opportunities  Engage with schools to find out what they need  Town & Gown event as outreach, talent retention  Need understanding of Generation Z and Millennials (bridge relationships)  Create incentives for young people – memberships  Threats  All the weaknesses, if left unaddressed  Lack of equity – Who are we serving? Who is our customer?  Overlap/duplicating efforts Committee Discussion/Comments/Suggestions:  Possibly bring in bigger business representatives to the committee  We need to figure out function before form. A small group should meet and discuss and then recommend to the committee. Summary: Chairman would like to look at the membership, bylaws and strategic plan over the next few months. V. Key Updates/Other Business: Joshua Everard reported that he will no longer be assigned as the City Attorney representative, however, newly hired Trace Hall will attend the meetings starting next month. Chairman McKenna stated we need to address the attendance policy and maybe having proxy representatives. There was a question regarding COVID protocol for attendance. Mr. Everard explained the process, stating because this is a public body, it is governed by the Virginia Code. He referenced code section 2.2-3780.2. There are specific requirements to attend meetings electronically, which are; temporary or permanent medical condition, family member with a temporary or permanent medical condition, or a personal matter (which needs to be identified with specificity). He stated the electronic participation is limited to a percentage of overall meetings and there has to be a physical quorum present to vote on allowing the electronic participation. Reason(s) for electronic participation has to be recorded in the minutes, which would include a general location of the participant. There is an exception under State of Emergency. VI. Next Meeting: February 8, 2022 – City Council Chambers VII. Adjourn: Chairman McKenna thanked everyone for attending. There being no further business, he adjourned the meeting at 1:21 p.m. 3