Economic Development Commission
Regular MeetingDeKalb, IL · November 2, 2018
Minutes
MINUTES
MEETING OF THE
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION
CITY OF DEKALB
November 2, 2018
The Economic Development Commission (EDC) of the City of DeKalb, Illinois held a
regular meeting on Friday, November 2, 2018 in the Executive Conference Room of the
DeKalb Municipal Building, 200 South Fourth Street, DeKalb, Illinois.
The meeting was called to order at 8:30 a.m.
ROLL CALL
Roll was recorded by Economic Development Planner, Jason Michnick, and the following
members of the Economic Development Commission were present: Trixy O’Flaherty,
Sam Walt, Jeff Richardson, Mohammed Labadi, and Mark Sawyer. Not present was
Vernese Edghill-Walden.
Also present were Alderman, Pat Fagan; Mayor, Jerry Smith; Executive Director of the
DeKalb Chamber of Commerce, Matt Duffy; Executive Director of the DeKalb County
Economic Development Corporation, Paul Borek; IT Director, Marc Thorson;
Management Intern, Jason Blumenthal; and Transit Manager, Marcus Cox.
APPROVAL OF AGENDA
MOTION
Mr. Richardson made a motion to approve the agenda as posted. The motion was
seconded by Mr. Sawyer. The motion was approved by voice vote.
APPROVAL OF MINUTES
MOTION
Mr. Sawyer made a motion to approve the minutes from the October 5, 2018 meeting.
Mr. Richardson seconded the motion. The motion carried on a voice vote.
PUBLIC PARTICIPATION
None.
OLD BUSINESS
1. Discussion of the City of DeKalb Website Redesign.
Planner Michnick introduced the commission to IT Director, Marc Thorson, and Management
Intern, Jason Blumenthal, informing them that they would be leading efforts to redesign the City’s
website. Mr. Thorson stated that the five year contract that the City has with CivicPlus includes a
“refresh” that will take place next year. The City has already held two public forums to discuss the
website, and plans to hold two more.
Mr. Thorson stepped the commission through the City’s website and explained the various
features. CivicPlus has multiple templates/forms that can be used to for the redesign. Multiple
examples of other municipality websites were shared with the commission for the purpose of
showing possible design layouts, including:
• Portland, Maine
• Elgin, Illinois
• Schaumburg, Illinois
• Berea, Ohio
• Oak Hill, Tennessee
• Orlando, Florida
The commission discussed the pros and cons of the various layouts and formats of other websites
and provided feedback to Mr. Thorson and Mr. Blumenthal. Some of the specific feedback that
was discussed was the following:
• New format should be visually pleasing and include pictures that highlight the assets of
the community. The website should be a marketing tool for the City.
o Possibly introduce form so citizens can submit their own pictures of the community.
• Making payments, specifically parking tickets, should be less cumbersome. Also need to
fix the system that updates when a ticket is paid so notifications for unpaid parking tickets
are not sent out when they have been paid.
• Simplify the options in the pull-down menus. Current website has too many options that
make it difficult to find information (e.g. is zoning regulations under business, economic
development, or municipal code).
o Utilize a flowchart approach to guiding people to the information.
• Could a chat feature be offered?
o May require outsourcing, because City does not have central call center.
• Include community events on the calendar, not just City commission meetings.
• Orland is a great example of providing and organizing information for businesses.
2. Central Business District TIF Update and Discussion
Planner Michnick and Alderman Fagan updated the commission that the Joint Review Board and
a working group had been developing an intergovernmental agreement that would result in new
regulations on reporting and spending of TIF funds, as well as the declaration of an $11.25 million
surplus declaration. It is anticipated that the ordinances approving the proposed CBD TIF and
IGA would be brought forward at the next Council Meeting.
3. Discussion and Recommendation of Projects for DeKalb County Community Foundation
Economic Development Grant
Marcus Cox, the new Transit Manager for the City informed the commission that he and other
staff, as well as Mr. Borek, have held an initial meeting with representatives from the businesses
located in Park 88 (Nestle, Panduit, 3M, Target, and Westrock) to discuss the creation of a new
transit line that would serve that area of the City. In addition to the new transit line, the overall
consolidation of the City’s two transit systems has resulted in some changes to bus routes. One
of the challenges with the merger has been informing residents about the changes. The
commission discussed the use of the remaining DCCF ED Grant to fund the design and initial
round of printing for a marketing piece for residents about the transit system.
A possible idea would be to have posters printed that could go on the bus stop shelters, of which
there are a total of 15-20 shelters throughout the City. A question was asked about the cost of a
new shelter, as adding those to stops may be another possible project. The cost of a single shelter
is approximately $15,000, which would exceed the remaining grant. Another idea was a mobile
application, but there is already one in place with Huskie Lines that will be transferred over to the
City in 2019. Planner Michnick stated he would look into the cost of hiring a design firm for the
flyer/poster and report back to the commission at the next meeting, as well as providing an update
on any progress with the Park 88 transit conversations.
ADJOURNMENT
MOTION
Mr. Sayer made a motion to adjourn, seconded by Mr. Richardson. The motion carried
on a voice vote and the meeting was adjourned at 10:20 a.m.
________________________________
Respectfully Submitted by
Jason Michnick, Economic Development Planner
Agenda
DeKalb Municipal Building
PLEASE NOTE LOCATION
Executive Conference Room, Second Floor
200 South Fourth Street
DeKalb, Illinois 60115
AGENDA
Regular Meeting
Economic Development Commission
November 2, 2018
8:30 a.m.
A. Roll Call
B. Approval of Agenda
C. Approval of Minutes – October 5, 2018 Meeting
D. Public Participation
E. New Business
F. Old Business
1. Discussion of City of DeKalb Website Redesign
2. Central Business District TIF Update and Discussion
3. Discussion and Recommendation of Project for DeKalb County Community
Foundation Economic Development Grant
G. Adjourn
MINUTES
MEETING OF THE
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION
CITY OF DEKALB
October 5, 2018
The Economic Development Commission (EDC) of the City of DeKalb, Illinois held a
regular meeting on Friday, October 5, 2018 in the Executive Conference Room of the
DeKalb Municipal Building, 200 South Fourth Street, DeKalb, Illinois.
The meeting was called to order at 8:33 a.m.
ROLL CALL
Roll was recorded by Economic Development Planner, Jason Michnick, and the following
members of the Economic Development Commission were present: Trixy O’Flaherty,
Vernese Edghill-Walden, Jeff Richardson, and Mark Sawyer. Not present were Sam Walt
and Mohammed Labadi.
Also present were Alderman Pat Fagan, Mayor Jerry Smith, Management Analyst, Aaron
Stevens, Executive Director of the DeKalb Chamber of Commerce, Matt Duffy, and
Executive Director of the DeKalb County Economic Development Corporation, Paul
Borek.
APPROVAL OF AGENDA
MOTION
Mr. Richardson made a motion to approve the agenda as posted. The motion was
seconded by Ms. Edghill-Walden. The motion was approved by voice vote.
APPROVAL OF MINUTES
MOTION
The draft minutes were corrected to reflect Alderman Fagan not being in attendance at
the previous meeting. Mr. Sawyer made a motion to approve the minutes as corrected
from the September7, 2018 meeting. Ms. Edghill-Walden seconded the motion. The
motion carried on a voice vote.
PUBLIC PARTICIPATION
None
NEW BUSINESS
1. Review and Discussion on the Annie Glidden North Revitalization Plan Draft and
Recommendation to City Council for Adoption of the Plan.
Planner Michnick introduced Management Analyst, Aaron Stevens, who served as the project
management coordinator for the Annie Glidden North (AGN) Revitalization Plan process.
Management Analyst Stevens provided an overview of the community engagement process,
including a 30-person task force that was appointed by the Mayor. Over the past year, the AGN
Task Force, City staff, and an urban planning firm engaged the community in developing a vision
for the neighborhood referred to as AGN. The area includes the residential and commercial
properties to the east and west of Annie Glidden Road from Lucinda Avenue to the County Health
Department that is north of Dresser Road.
The planning process started in August 2017, and is anticipated to be completed by the end of
the current year. A full draft of the document is now available on the City’s website and the public
is encouraged to read and provide comment.
The Executive Summary of the AGN Plan describes the purpose of the plan, which his to improve
the quality of life for residents in the neighborhood by developing a vision for the future and
identifying projects and strategies that attack the root causes of many of the issues and challenges
that are currently present. A total of 45 projects are identified in the plan, with 10 of those projects
being called out as transformational in nature. These ten projects are considered to be the highest
priority. Although the core transformational projects are listed as a top priority, it would not prohibit
other projects and initiatives from being targeted, especially in the near-term.
The commission discussed some of the core transformational projects in detail, including
consideration of creating a community development corporation (CDC) as an implementing body.
Implementation of the AGN Plan will take considerable resources, especially money, in order to
realize the desired outcomes.
The commission also reviewed potential funding sources for projects such as grants.
Management Analyst Stevens and Planner Michnick both informed the commission about various
grant opportunities that have been applied for since the planning process started, and the value
that the AGN Plan will have when applying for future grants.
The commission discussed the area being designated as an Opportunity Zone. Planner Michnick
described the Opportunity Zone program to the commission and how it could be leveraged to
achieve some of the goals in the AGN Plan. Opportunity Zones are designated census tracts that
allow investors to realize reduces capital gains taxes if they invest in qualifying projects. The final
regulations of the program are still pending, but City staff are working to identify potential projects
that would benefit from the program. Projects that align with the Opportunity Zone must be
profitable ventures, or the mechanism will not work. This means that the program will likely focus
on real estate development and supporting new businesses.
The commission discussed the need for a grocery store in the area, with surprise that it was not
called out specifically as a project. Planner Michnick discussed the Community Food and
Education Center as a possible alternative, and the challenges with recruiting a grocery store
chain to the area. Other possible alternatives to grocery store development would be delivery
services using existing grocery stores in the area.
The commission stated that it is important to keep momentum behind the process and to target
“low hanging fruit” in the near-term, as consideration is given to developing an organization
structure to an implementing body, and identifying more substantial funding sources. The
commission also recommended focusing a few things at once, and not spreading resources too
thin across all initiatives at once.
A motion was made by Mr. Richardson to recommend that City Council adopt the Annie Glidden
North Revitalization Plan. The motion was seconded by Ms. Edghill-Walden. The motion was
approved unanimously.
ADJOURNMENT
MOTION
Mr. Sayer made a motion to adjourn, seconded by Mr. Richardson. The motion carried
on a voice vote and the meeting was adjourned at 9:45 a.m.
________________________________
Respectfully Submitted by
Jason Michnick, Economic Development Planner