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HomeMy WebLinkAbout12 12 2019 BEC minutes 1 4646 Dakota Street SE Prior Lake, MN 55372 CITY OF PRIOR LAKE, MINNESOTA BUSINESS ENGAGEMENT COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES – December 12, 2019 1. Call to Order The meeting was called to order at 7:35 a.m. in the Wagon Bridge Conference Room at Prior Lake City Hall. Members present: Kim Prchal, Thane Tande, Wade Larson, Tim Marco, Jeff Petschl, Christopher Smith, Bella Drewes, and James Speiker II. EDA Liaison Marie Boucher-Hoese. Staff present: Casey McCabe and Amanda Schwabe. 2. Approval of Meeting Minutes a. October 24, 2019 MOTION BY PRCHAL and SECOND BY DREWES to approve the October 24, 2019 meeting minutes. Motion adopted unanimously. 3. Old Business a. None. 4. New Business a. BEC Reconfiguration MCCABE provided an overview of how administration evaluated the goals of the advisory committees and the history of how the BEC has evolved since its original establishment. He stated that interest in advisory committees has appeared to lessen due to the number of applicants, attendance decline/lack of quorums, etc. PRCHAL recommended reviewing the 2019 accomplishments in the October 24, 2019 meeting minutes when thinking about 2020. She suggested requesting direction from the EDA re: where the liaison visits are most beneficial. MARCO questioned the primary objective of the BEC now with the establishment of the Community Engagement Committee. MCCABE shared that there will be some overlap, although the CEC will be more of a Citizens Academy providing insight into the workings of the City with a communication component. MCCABE shared that in conversation with Chair Carroll, she suggested that instead of discussing the EDA agenda at the BEC meeting, the EDA Agenda could go out and BEC members can suggest content. SMITH stated that during the six months he has been at Nuvera, he has received many compliments from business owners regarding the City and that that has not been his experience with all communities. Liaison Visits MCCABE questioned members as to how they felt the liaison visits were going. He questioned if the liaison areas were still accurate and if they should be continued for all areas or just certain areas. LARSON stated that he visits his liaison area 4-5 times/year and that he likes the program. SPEIKER suggested keeping the liaison program with visits once/year as having that contact is important to business owners. MARCO stated that while he wasn’t extremely active in his area (Gateway), he thinks it is important to keep the program. Meeting Frequency SPEIKER likes having meetings which increase communication; however, fewer meetings that are more productive can be better. PETSCHL would prefer meetings each month because so much information is lost if it is bi-monthly and someone misses the meeting. MCCABE shared that Staff will provide support; however, the development of the agenda topics will be the responsibility of the Chair and Vice Chair moving forward. PRCHAL stated that she and Carroll would be fine with handling the preparation of the Agenda and taking input from the members for topics. MCCABE shared experience from other outside committees who send out a “call for content” the week prior to the meeting for agenda items and that if no topics are raised/suggested, the meeting is cancelled by the Chair/Vice-Chair. PETSCHL agreed that if agenda content isn’t raised/suggested, it makes sense to cancel the meeting. 2020 Committee Goals • Continue to work with Chamber re: communication during construction. PRCHAL offered to review the member/business liaison list and suggest changes if necessary. LARSON stated that his area appreciates the construction update information also. • Plan/Organize a Business Mixer Event PRCHAL reminded the group that Sheehan-Kerber suggested the BEC work with Bolton & Menk for the mixer as there will likely be construction updates that can be shared. PETSCHL suggested adding a new goal related to working with the EDA. MCCABE stated that the group can add goals if desired. Staff & Committee Member Expectations PRCHAL stated that the Chair and Vice-Chair will work to prepare the Agenda and may cancel the meeting if it is not necessary. 5. Other Business a. EDA Meeting Update MCCABE provided an overview of the December 9, 2019 EDA meeting. b. Staff Update SCHWABE provided an update on the Downtown Mural and contributions to date. c. Commercial Area Liaison Update d. Member Ideas/Recommendations LARSON questioned what concerns have been raised related to the construction. PRCHAL provided an overview of comments she has heard from recent liaison visits. 6. Next Meeting Date. The next regular meeting of the BEC will be on Thursday, January 23, 2020 at 7:30 a.m. 7. Adjourn. The meeting adjourned at 8:45 a.m. Motion by LARSON, seconded by PETSCHL. Motion adopted unanimously. Submitted by Amanda Schwabe