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HomeMy WebLinkAbout06.26.23 EDA MinutesCity of Farmington Economic Development Authority Regular Meeting Minutes Monday, June 26, 2023 The Farmington Economic Development Authority met in regular session on Monday, June 26, 2023, at Farmington City Hall, 430 3rd Street, Farmington, Minnesota. 1. CALL TO ORDER Chair Wilson called the meeting to order at 4:00 p.m. 2. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE Chair Wilson lead everyone in the Pledge of Allegiance. 3. ROLL CALL Members Present:Chair Steve Wilson Commissioners Holly Bernatz, Joshua Hoyt, Nick Lien, and Katie Porter Members Absent: None Also Present: Lynn Gorski, City Administrator Deanna Kuennen, Community Development Director Stephanie Aman, Economic Development Coordinator John Powell, Public Works Director Shirley Buecksler, City Clerk Kara Hildreth, Editor— Dakota County Tribune 4. APPROVE AGENDA Motion was made by Commissioner Lien and seconded by Commissioner Porter to approve the agenda, as presented. Motion carried: 5 ayes / 0 nays. 5. CITIZEN COMMENTS No one addressed the Commission to speak. 6. CONSENT AGENDA 6.1 Economic Development Authority Meeting Minutes of April 17, 2023 6.2 Open to Business Quarter Report— Q1 2023 Motion was made by Commissioner Hoyt and seconded by Commissioner Porter to approve the Consent Agenda, as amended. Motion carried: 5 ayes /0 nays. Economic Development Authority Minutes June 26,2023 Page 2of6 7. PUBLIC HEARINGS There were no public hearings. 8. DISCUSSION ITEMS 8.1 Approval of Micro Grant for Fissan Training Kennels — R04-23 Coordinator Aman presented. At their March 20, 2023 meeting, the Farmington EDA approved and directed Staff to create a new Micro Grant program for Farmington businesses. Staff worked with legal and created the appropriate documents including guidelines, application and agreements and opened applications as planned on June 1, 2023. Included in the marketing of this program was a postcard sent to nearly 500 businesses, door-to-door visits with open downtown businesses, social media Farmingtone ite presence, and conversations atpostsinthearmingtonbusinessgroup, bs p networking events with Farmington businesses and economic development partners. Prior to reviewing the applications, the EDA conducted a general review of the program. Discussion on the Micro Grant Program: Are prior grant applications considered? No. This is a standalone program. Any business within the city limits is eligible, as long as they meet the guidelines. Creating a program with a maximum amount of fluidity is important. Staff recommends not changing guidelines at this point, mid-program. At yearend, the program will be reviewed for impact and discussion on what the future of the program may look like. Staff will follow up on social media to continue to get the word out. After awarding of a grant, the applicant still needs to go through the proper steps for permits. Resolution could be modified to add language, "grant approval subject to City permits." Fissan Training Kennels is the first complete/eligible application received online for the new Micro Grant program. They are requesting $2,500.00 from the program and have presented a bid of $7,538.27 for the proposed project of adding signage to the exterior of their space. The business and the project meet the eligibility parameters for receiving this funding. There was no further discussion on this application. Motion was made by Commissioner Hoyt and seconded by Commissioner Bernatz to adopt Resolution No. R04-23 Approving Micro Grant Funding to Fissan Training Kennels for Certain Business Improvements. Motion carried: 5 ayes/ 0 nays. Economic Development Authority Minutes June 26,2023 Page 3 of 6 8.2 Approval of Micro Grant for Heikkila Studios — R05-23 Coordinator Aman presented. Heikkila Studios would like to improve the area beside their building (north side) by removing and replacing the crumbling cement and adding flower planters to beautify the space. They have submitted an estimate for work in the amount of$5,387.00 and request a $2,500.00 Micro Grant to help fund this project. Heikkila Studios has met the eligibility requirements for the program. Discussion on application: The EDA had technical questions regarding the proposed work, safeguards for the adjacent building, building code questions regarding the metal stairs, and "what it" questions concerning the unknowns that may be discovered once the cement is removed. The EDA questioned what would happen if the word did not get completed prior to the end of warm/construction weather. The EDA asked about the right-of-way permits required to conduct work that abuts the city sidewalk. Motion was made by Commissioner Hoyt to move approval of this application with the contingency that the approval and permitting process is vetted and, if there are any amendments to the cost of this, that the applicant comes back to Staff and ensures that there is a safety process in place for any potential changes and adequate funding to cover that. Commissioner Hoyt withdrew his motion. Motion was made by Commissioner Lien and seconded by Commissioner Bernatz to continue this item. Motion carried: 5 ayes/ 0 nays. 8.3 Marketing Strategy and Guide At the request of the Farmington EDA, Staff have compiled a summary document outlining the Marketing approach from the Economic Development team for 2023 and beyond. Director Kuennen and Coordinator Aman presented the Marketing Strategy and Guide, which is intended to help explain the background, how it applies to the Council's pillar, and to help the EDA understand what Staff is doing, and how it's working. Economic Development Authority Minutes June 26,2023 Page 4of6 Staff spoke to the following: Building relationships and networking is important. Farmington isshowing up in places where we haven't shown up before, but other cities have. Staff is approachable and relatable, and confident in how we present Farmington, the opportunities, and the vision. . Staff is working with the City's new GIS Specialist to create interactive maps and an enhanced web presence for marketing development opportunities. Staff will be creating podcasts, as well as video productions on small businesses and our industrial partners. Staff is telling Farmington's story and fostering Farmington's entrepreneurial spirit. It's memorable, believable, and it's working. Brokers and developers have gone beyond talking with us to working on property negotiations. Discussion and comments: This is an incredibly well thought out process. Appreciate your splitting economic development branding from city development. This is exciting, and the way it tells our story is amazing. Please share this with the Planning Commission — both this guide and your enthusiasm. Working with landowners and getting this level of enthusiasm is imperative. The legacy of their property is as important as the thing is to us that we want to go there. Director Kuennen and Coordinator Aman have accomplished so much in under six months; kudos to you both. 8.4 Proposed EDA Work Plan - 2024 At the April EDA meeting, Staff introduced the concept of requesting an economic development authority levy as part of the 2024 budget. Currently the EDA does not have a dedicated funding source for programming, and the annual direct appropriation from the general fund does not fully support the existing EDA activities. Staff worked with Chris Regis, Finance Director, to understand maximum funding that could be realized and dedicated for economic development through the levy as allowed by state statues, as well as other lesser funding scenarios and their impact on the overall levy. Based on that discussion, the EDA requested that Staff provide additional details on how the proposed levy dollars would be used. Based on that direction, Staff prepared a draft work plan with proposed activities for discussion purposes - including a $150,000 levy suggestion. The work plan focused on building on the successes and momentous currently being realized and recognizing "quality business growth and retention" is one of the city's priorities — Staff has identified the following activities to peruse in 2024: Economic Development Authority Minutes June 26,2023 Page 5 of 6 Community Venture Network (CVN)— CVN is a membership organization that serves as a potential "match making service" between business leads and communities throughout the Midwest region. The company vets the business leads and provides three (3) events annually where companies present their business needs to member communities. CVN connects communities with businesses searching for opportunities to expand and grow, research businesses nationwide to understand growth goals, and supports the businesses/communities throughout the location decision process and beyond. - $4,500 Minnesota Real Estate Journal (MREJ) — RE Journals is the largest producer of commercial real estate content across the Midwest, hosting events on at least 15 topics every year and offering the most CE credits to area commercial brokers locally. In 2023 the EDA contracted with MREJ which provided sponsorship of summits, speaking opportunities, booths at events/summits, editorial opportunities, and ads on the MREJ website and in print publications. The value in this relationship is access to the commercial brokerage community, name recognition, and a platform to share Farmington stories/vision/plans/opportunities to individuals representing projects and clients. - $10,000 Site Location Partnership (SLP) — SLID is a multi-disciplined advisory firm that partners with entities to attract new industry, investment, and jobs. The one-year contract involves working together to identify target industries and specific prospects within those industries — including customized databases, personalized outreach, corporate profiles, and introductory calls, identifying and facilitating appointments with site selector consultants, representation at trade shows, web promotion and additional exposure. - $12,500 plus travel to two trade shows. Bloomberg Placemaking matching grant program (or similar) — There is an opportunity to leverage the investments/changes that are happening in the downtown, build upon the comments coming from the community vision outreach regarding adding more color and art in the community, and implementing a wayfinding program that will connect different aspects of the community (parks, trails, community facilities, parking, etc.). What this specifically looks like is yet to be determined, but in 2023 a placemaking matching grant program" was offered through Bloomberg Philanthropies. The idea behind the placement program is to use art as a means to connect communities and create vibrant spaces. - $25,000 No budget impact for 2023; this information is for discussion purposes only, and to formulate and prepare a proposed budget for 2024. Economic Development Authority Minutes June 26,2023 Page 6 of 6 Discussion: Appreciate the work Staff has done to show the action behind the dollars. Recommend increasing budget on some items; costs look low. We want to be sure you have some flexibility. Budget meetings are coming up, and this will be discussed. Direction from EDA— everything looks good from what we see here. 9. DIRECTOR'S REPORT 9.1 Director's Report The Director's Report was provided to the EDA for informational purposes. 10.ADJOURNMENT Motion was made by Commissioner Lien and seconded by Commissioner Bernatz to adjourn the meeting at 5:42 p.m. Motion carried: 5 ayes / 0 nays. spectfully submitted, Pam. i y u cks er CIe