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HomeMy WebLinkAbout5.f. Chamber of Commerce :� R CITY OF ROSEMOLTNT EXECIITIVE SII�SARY FOR ACTION CIT�! COUNCIL MEETING DATE: MAY 4, 1993 1�GENDA ITSD�: CHAMBER OF COMMERCE - ITEMS FOR AGENDA SECTION: COOPERATIVE PRC�GRAMS OLD BUSINESS PREi�ARED �Y: STEPHAN JiLK, CITY ADMINISTRATOR AG NO. E���� ATTACFIIKENTS: MEMO AP O 8 : / Th� Rosemount Area Chamber of Commerce has been workin� wi h its membership to develap a consensus building on major issues that they, as a business com�nunity, see are vital ta them, the?r success and development. On April 6, 1�93 the Chamber held its first "Business �orum" to bring the business community together to discuss th�se issues, list thern and develop a program to continue their efforts. �ut of that meeting came a consensus on three major areas to work on: 1) government, 2) community, and 3) business issues. In the area of government the following were listed as items to address; bureaucracy, accountability, trust, priority of budget items, user friendly, and communication. In an attempt to build on the existing relationship between city government and the Rosemount Business Community and to address some af the areas listed, the Chamber has suggested a "one stop shop" for businesses as they work with City Hall. Attached find a memo as to my recommendations as to how to implemen.t such a concept with the limited resources we have available. RECOblMENDED ACTION: Motion to support the concept of a "One Stop Shop° for businesses relating to city government in Rosemount as outlined in the City Administrators memo of April 30, 1993 . COUNCIL ACTION: �I ' __ : a ` T0: Mayor McMenomy City Council Members Chairperson Ed Dunn Port Authori�y Members / ,,^-, FROM: Stephan Jilk, City Admin,is,� r� o ,� r DATE: April 30, 1993 � RE: °One Stop" Service Idea In an effort to improve on the communication and cooperation between the City af Rosemount and the Rosemou.nt Business Community and to create even greater opportunities to build on the relationship already in place, I believe there are several ideas we can consider. These ideas, if put in place, will not only help develop the idea of "one stop" service for businesses but will help in. other ways to build on our communication with our business community. � It is extremely important that as we move forward with implementation of these ideas that doing so, even if successful, will not result in developing a utopia for our business ' community. The ideas presented here are meant to provide methods ' of improving our unde�rstanc3ing of issues of importance to the business community; ways city government can assist businesses, where appropriate, to stay in Rosemount, expand when desirous to do so, and to maintain an open line of communication in the process. I would recommend the followin : g 1. Position Development. Designate John Miller, our Economic Development Coordinator, as the contact person for all communication between the business community and the City in ma.tters of governmental relations . John was hired and the position established to deal with all economic development issues and to act as staff support to the Port Authority. In this capacity he is already working with the Chamber of Commerce, the Star City Committee, the Government Action Committee, the Dakota County Private Industry Council - Economic Development Marketing Committee, the Downtown Scoping Committee, and as staff support to the Port Authority. I believe what needs to be done is to develop the position even more into a focal point for business and government relations. How can this be done? To start with, the position title could be revised to Economic Development/ Business Relations Coordinator. This will go a long way in indicating the City' s understanding of the need for this relationship. John already attends many meetings of the Chamber but this will be increased so that any events that pertain to the � � ' Chamber and government John will attend and be recognized as ' the point-person to communicate with on "business" issues. ' John can also carry information back to the Chamber on i, projects and issues relating to the business community that ' the city is considering or working on so that he can bring feedback to City Staff, City Council and the Port Authority. 2 . Project Coordination. It is important to local businesses, especially the smaller ones who have only an occasional issue to deal with the City on, to have someone "guide° them through a building permit, sign permit, or zoning change. As these projects come up John will be the initial contact person and then "monitor° the progress of these projects , through to insur.e the local business person is being dealt with in a proper manner and the issue is being resolved - maybe not always to the satisfaction of the applicant but so that decisions are made and communication is maintained. Th�s nmonitoring" is different from "hand �olding" in that John' s responsibility won' t be to handle or take care of every case that comes through City Hall . His job won't be to take the responsibility or work of the applicant in, say applying for a building permit and supplying the right information. It wi11 be to nmonitor" the progress, help educate the first time applicants as to a specific process and then monitor, overall, how business needs are being met. For instance, if sign permits are difficult to process, why? What can be done to improve on the process? If a lot of sign permits are being turned down, should the ordinance be changed? The City would work with the business � community. Are there ways ordinances can be changed to alleviate bureaucratic red tape? The City could help develop a process to do this. John should not be seen as an advocate for business but as the communication link between the business commun.ity and local government. 3 . City Staff. John will monitor, through information gathering at staff level, the °business�� projects being worked on, or considered, by the Planning and Building Departments to develop a "data base" of information regarding °business development" projects. This will help John get a handle on what activity there is and help him monitor what kinds of activity there is to develop a better - sense of how ta help local business. 4. Business Retention Program. Along with the Star City Program, this program should be retained and utilized to continue a opportunity for businesses to relate their concerns and issues to the City as to the problems they 2 � � � � I face how the Cit c n be of a intainin , y a ssistance in ma g the business presence in the community so that we will not only keep the businesses we have but also help them e�and if feasible. John has to have the assistance of the Star City Committee to run this program as it requires field visits with businesses on an annual basis and the accumulation, dissemination and processing of lot information. It can successfully be used to target problem areas and areas of opportunity. 5 . Business/Government Information Forums. I would suggest that we tak� the recommendation of the Chamber and cause the development of several "For Business Forums" . These informational forums, put on by City Staff through the coordination of John Miller, would provide opgortunities for - the business cammunity to learn more about how we do our business in the areas of planning, zoning, building inspection and public safety. City Staff from these departanents could provide information presentations to explain what our regulations are, what processes to follow and how our budgeting restricts, in many cases our opportixnity to develop even greater support for services. These forums could also be used to gather feedback from the business community as to suggested changes in ordinances and ideas as to how a "process" could be improved. Understanding one another and the issues we deal with can be a major step in our warking toward better relations. Can all of this be done without additional staff? I wauld suggest not likely. John is attempting to involve himself in all of these areas now while developing projects for the Port Authority. Building and maintaining a strong link of communication with the entire business community is not a one hour a week task. The combination of those ideas I have proposed here and the ongoing project coordination John has will be more than one person can handle even if John calls on and gets the cooperation of volunteers through the Chamber, Star City, etc. I would recommend that we begin this effort in 1993, monitor the additional time and efforts needed and consider additional staffing in the 1994 budget if the programs are successful and they require additional staff and support is there for budget purposes. . 17 3