Economic Development Commission

Economic Development Committee DEKALB MUNICIPAL BUILDING 200 South Fourth Street Glidden Conference Room TUESDAY, July 21, 2015 3:30 P.M. CALL TO ORDER ROLL CALL APPROVAL OF AGENDA (ADDITIONS OR DELETIONS) APPROVAL OF MINUTES May 19, 2015 OLD BUSINESS NEW BUSINESS 1. Discussion of economic development activities CONSIDERATIONS REPORTS ADJOURNMENT If you have any questions regarding this agenda please contact Jennifer Diedrich, Economic Development Coordinator, at 815-748-2365 or jdiedrich@cityofdekalb.com “Assistive services will be provided upon request." 7_21_15 EDC agenda  ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE CITY OF DEKALB May 19, 2015 The Economic Development Committee of DeKalb, Illinois, held a regular meeting on Tuesday, March 19, 2015, in the Glidden conference room of the DeKalb Municipal Building, 200 South Fourth Street, DeKalb, Illinois. Chair Shakir, Chair, called the meeting to order at 3:30 p.m. ROLL CALL: Economic Development Coordinator Economic Development Coordinator Diedrich recorded the roll and the following members of Economic Development Committee were present: Chair Shakir, Chair, Ms. Prahlad, and Mr. Teresinski. Also present were: Anne Marie Gaura, City Manager; Ellen Divita, Community Development Director; and Matt Duffy, DeKalb Chamber of Commerce. APPROVAL OF AGENDA: MOTION Mr. Teresinski moved to approve the agenda; seconded by Ms. Prahlad. Motion carried 3-0 by voice vote (Aye: Prahlad, Shakir, and Teresinski). Chair Shakir declared the motion passed. APPROVAL OF MINUTES: MOTION Ms. Prahlad moved to approve the minutes of March 7, 2015; seconded by Mr. Teresinski. Motion carried 3-0 by voice vote. Chair Shakir declared the motion passed. OLD BUSINESS: None NEW BUSINESS 1. CONSIDERATION OF THE TIF PHASE OUT PLAN Economic Development Coordinator Diedrich gave background on the phase out process. City Manager Gaura provided additional input on the feedback we’ve received from the other groups. City Manager Gaura discussed the proposed $25,000 match from the County in reference to the Egyptian Theatre. Based on feedback from the merchants – keeping the theatre open is a priority and has a great impact on them when they are busy. City Manager Gaura shared further details on the proposed Egyptian project. Mr. Teresinski asked if a historical assessment of the downtown had been already been completed? Community Development Director Divita addressed the question noting that many things could be done easily to make the properties more historically accurate.  Economic Development Committee Meeting Minutes May 19, 2015 Page 2 of 3 Ms. Prahlad asked if the architectural assessment needed to be done before the structural program could begin. City Manager Gaura confirmed the structural assistance program and the architectural assessment were two different programs that could be run concurrently. Mr. Teresinski asked if Community Development Director Divita had experience with similar programs in the other communities she worked in. Community Development Director Divita advised she had not, however the other communities always had a building inspection program, so it wasn’t necessary. Mr. Duffy inquired about the accuracy of the estimates provided for the projects. City Manager Gaura addressed the question. City Manager Gaura commented on the need to develop programs to incent new businesses which complement existing businesses. Discussion continued between all present. Community Development Director Divita noted the importance of co-tenancy. She was opposed to filling a space with anything just to fill it because it creates a downward spiral of non- complementary uses. Mr. Duffy suggested the need for destination retail - tech store, stuff for families to do. Ms. Prahlad inquired about the airport, noting while the runway was quite long, it wasn’t built for a heavy plane. The weight allowances didn’t match the length. She continued to share her thoughts on the viability of the airport. City Manager Gaura responded by discussing the purpose of the airport governance study recently conducted and discussed the results moving into the future. Need part 139 status. This would require staffing increase which right now is not feasible. City Manager Gaura continued to discuss the results of the study in reference to Ms. Prahlad’s questions. Discussion continued between all present. Chair Shakir asked if partnerships with other organizations (DeKalb County Economic Development Corporation, DeKalb County Convention and Visitors Bureau) would continue. City Manager Gaura advised that they would, noting that the cooperative management styles very collaborative. Mr. Teresinski talked about a TIF feasibility study that was done for the Greek Row area of town, noting that the results noted that it would be difficult to TIF that area because of declining property values. No money would be generated to jump start development. City Manager Gaura advised that she wanted to take a fresh look at that area. Economic Development Coordinator Diedrich reviewed the status of the ABC grant to date. Discussion continued between all present on general economic development issues/ideas. Business start-up was discussed and focused on the energy industry. For example net metering – a home generating enough electric to receive a credit via surplus flowing back into system is a growth opportunity. DeKalb is well placed to open an incubator which bridges NIU technology,  Economic Development Committee Meeting Minutes May 19, 2015 Page 3 of 3 Kishwaukee Community College with the industrial community. TIF funds could potentially be used to entice startup businesses. CONSIDERATIONS: None. REPORTS: None. ADJOURNMENT: MOTION Ms. Prahlad moved to adjourn the meeting at 5:00 p.m.; seconded by Mr. Teresinski. Motion carried 3-0 by voice vote. Chair Shakir declared the motion passed. Respectfully Submitted, Jennifer Diedrich, Economic Development Coordinator