Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout3.a. 20151117 PAM RMROSEMOUNT PORT AUTHORITY REGULAR MEETING PROCEEDINGS NOVEMBER 17, 2015 CALL TO ORDER Pursuant to due call and notice thereof a regular meeting of the Rosemount Port Authority was held on Tuesday, November 17, 2015 at 6:00 p.m. in the Council Chambers at City Hall, 2875 145th Street West, Rosemount. Chair Weisensel called the meeting to order with Commissioners Droste, Wolf, Luing, Smith, Abdulahi and DeBettignies attending. Staff present included City Administrator Johnson, Community Development Director Lindquist, Senior Planner Klatt and City Clerk Hadler. The Pledge of Allegiance was said. ADDITIONS OR CORRECTIONS TO AGENDA City Administrator Johnson stated there were no proposed changes. Motion by Weisensel. Second by Wolf. Motion to Adopt the Agenda. Ayes: 7 Nays: 0. Motion carried. COMMUNITY/AUDIENCE RECOGNITION Chair Weisensel recognized Kyle Klatt, the new Senior Planner. CONSENT AGENDA Motion by Wolf. Second by Luing. Motion to Approve the Consent Agenda. a. Approval of October 20, 2015 Meeting Minutes b. Approval of Bills and Invoices Ayes: Droste, Wolf, Luing, Weisensel, Smith, Abdulahi and DeBettignies Nays: None. Motion carried. OLD BUSINESS 4.a. Approve Amendment to Purchase Agreement Community Development Director Lindquist provided a summary of the staff report. She explained the necessary changes in the Culver’s agreement. The organization will not be able to review the environmental information within the designated contingency time period in the purchase agreement. The buyers would like to extend the contingency time period. They expect the documentation should be available within the next 30 days. There was also a slight discrepancy in the legal description that needed to be fixed. Commissioner Droste inquired about the effective date of the agreement and what the time frame now looked like. Ms. Lindquist stated the time allowed would be 90 days from date the Port Authority originally approved it. ROSEMOUNT PORT AUTHORITY REGULAR MEETING PROCEEDINGS NOVEMBER 17, 2015 Abdulahi asked if there was a closing date set yet. Ms. Lindquist stated there is not. Motion by Luing. Second by DeBettignies.. Motion to approve first amendment to purchase agreement. Ayes: Droste, Wolf, Luing, Weisensel, Smith, Abdulahi and DeBettignies Nays: None. Motion carried. 4.b. Presentation by Laurie Crow, Open to Business Community Development Director Lindquist introduced Laurie Crow, of Open to Business, which the City and County contract with to provide free consulting to businesses and potential businesses in Rosemount. The City has been using Open to Business services for three years. Ms. Crow gave an overview of the assistance she gives to businesses. Ms. Crow averages 200 clients per year throughout Dakota County. Open to Business also offers business micro-loans. Open to Business has provided $400,000 to date in 2015 within Dakota County. Commissioner Abdulahi asked for clarification on the arrangement the city has with Open to Business. Ms. Crow stated Open to Business actually contracts with the County CDA, and the County contracts the services with the cities. Commissioner Smith inquired about metrics specific to Rosemount. Ms. Crow stated the breakdown was in the packet, which is broken down by city. There were nine clients served in Rosemount in the first three quarters of the year. Commissioner Droste pointed out that there are similar sized cities that have three times as many contacts than Rosemount. Ms. Crow stated that Farmington hosted a couple of talks to groups. She stated Farmington had more smaller home-based business contacts, where Rosemount had more larger projects. Commissioner DeBettignies asked about the “undecided location”. Ms. Crow stated that they are potential businesses that have not decided on the location yet. Ms. Crow stated they do not advise on location, as that is not their expertise. Commissioner DeBettignies asked if they refer to professional services such as accountants and attorneys. Ms. Crow stated they do make referrals. Commissioner Abdulahi inquired if they have a connection to the SBA. Ms. Crow stated they are not SBA lenders. Commissioner Luing inquired if they do as much lending as they do consulting. Ms. Crow stated that the lending is secondary to the technical assistance. ROSEMOUNT PORT AUTHORITY REGULAR MEETING PROCEEDINGS NOVEMBER 17, 2015 Commissioner Droste stated that three years ago he thought this was a great idea. He stated the CDA is hiring a new director, and they seem to be looking more at economic development. He thought hosting an event would be a good step for the Port Authority. Ms. Crow stated she would be open to speaking at any group. Commissioner Abdulahi asked what sectors of the economy Ms. Crow sees most. Ms. Crow stated service related industries are the most common, and retail is second. Commissioner Luing inquired about plans to measure the success of the service. Ms. Crow stated their organization does a Wilder survey regularly, though it is difficult to get businesses to respond. Chair Weisensel gave information on the background of when and why the city had brought on Open to Business. He stated he agreed with Commissioner Droste that the city should host an event and asked Ms. Crow to provide some ideas for this type of event. Ms. Crow stated Open to Business is also working on a website that might bring together businesses online, as well as a mentorship program. NEW BUSINESS CHAIRPERSON’S REPORT Chair Weisensel asked Ms. Lindquist when the business luncheon might be scheduled. She replied staff was looking at mid-winter. DIRECTOR’S REPORT REPORTS FROM PORT AUTHORITY COMMISSIONERS ADJOURNMENT There being no further business to come before the Port Authority and upon a motion by Weisensel, second by DeBettignies, the meeting was unanimously adjourned at 6:42 p.m. Respectfully Submitted, Clarissa Hadler, City Clerk