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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCEDC Minutes 2008-09-10 RegularFriendswood Community and Economic Development Committee Minutes September 10, 2008 The Friendswood Community and Economic Development Committee met on Wednesday, September 10, 2008, at 8:00 a.m., in the second floor conference room of City Hall, 910 S. Friendswood Drive, Friendswood, Texas, with the following members present: Chair Jamie Ballard, Vice Chair Brett Banfield, Claude McEwen, Bill Provenzano, and Dr. Hilmar Zeissig. Liaisons present were Friendswood Chamber of Commerce President Carol Jones, Bay Area Houston Economic Partnership representative Dan Seal, Planning and Zoning Commissioner David O'Farrell, Friendswood Independent School District representative Dr. Rebecca Hillenburg, and Clear Creek ISD representative Eva -Marie deCardenas. Staff member present was Karen Capps. Absent from the meeting were Kirk Lippert, Pauline Moore, Cody Owen, and Troy Waters. 1. Call to Order. The meeting was called to order at 8:10 with a quorum present. 2. Roll Call. Roll call was made. 3. Approval of Minutes. Bill Provenzano made a motion to approve the August 6, 2008 meeting minutes. The motion was seconded by Hilmar Zeissig and it passed unanimously in the committee. 4. Discussion and possible action, but not limited to the following goals and action items to be included in the Community and Economic Development Committee's 2008-09 strategic plan. A. Mission statement — Chair Ballard read the draft mission statement he prepared for the committee. The proposed mission statement will be emailed to CEDC members and placed as an item for consideration and approval on October's agenda. B. Business recruitment — Vice Chair Brett Banfield reported his research on a corporate relocation program and reviewed this information with the committee. Vice Chair Banfield stated his research showed the majority of cities that offered cash incentives for jobs and corporate relocation had a 4B Economic Development Corporation with sales tax revenues dedicated for this purpose. Some county or state - sponsored programs, predominantly in Florida, offered some type of cash incentives for corporate relocation that targeted very select business industries. The corporations needed to meet strict job classifications and salary benchmarks in order to qualify for incentives that would range from $1,000 to $6,000 per job. Texas cities that offer cash incentives through grants and loans are typically job creation programs and their funds are used for job training and job relocation. Abilene, Killeen, McGregor, McAllen, Cedar Hill, El Camp, Marble Falls, and Georgetown are some of the cities that have incentive programs that were tied to specific industries, salary requirements, jobs, and a time frame. The committee discussed possibly amending Chapter 380 to include language that would target corporate relocation that would allow a business to qualify under more than one category in the municipal grant program which would allow the business to possibly qualify for additional incentives. The committee discussed the cost and placement of a billboard as part of the corporate relocation campaign of Work Here, Live Here. The committee voted 4 in favor (Ballard, Banfield, Mc Ewen, Provenzano), 1 against (Zeissig) to move forward with securing billboard space for the corporate relocation campaign. C. Business retention and expansion — Karen Capps provided a copy of the two -page survey that was prepared by CEDC member, Troy Waters. It was discussed mailing the survey to Friendswood businesses and creating an online survey. D. Retail business — Karen Capps provided a copy of the Retail Opportunity Analysis Report. The report is on the City's website and will be featured in the next economic development e-newsletter. E. Incentives — Proposed amendments to the tax abatement policy were reviewed and discussed. These amendments will be incorporated into the policy and placed on next month's agenda for consideration and approval. Karen Capps discussed the process for approval which will require a work session with City Council and a public hearing. 5. Discussion and possible action regarding proposed economic development slides for the City's municipal channel. Several changes were made to the slide pertaining to the CEDC's goals. Chair Ballard made a motion to approve the slides with amendments. The motion was seconded by Bill Provenzano and approved unanimously in the committee. The slides will be put in final and sent to Nick Haby for uploading to the municipal channel. 6. Reports: A. Planning and Zoning — It was reported that P&Z will have a joint public hearing with City Council regarding extending the downtown district along FM 518 to Cowards Creek. B. Liaisons — Dr. Hillenburg of FISD reported the new junior high should break ground in December and the natatorium and work at the high school are also moving forward as planned. Carol Jones reported the Chamber is kicking off their 2008-09 Leadership Friendswood class with twelve participants. Halloween in the Park will be held on Thursday, October 30. Other future events include the Chamber's loth annual golf tournament will be held on November 6 a barbecue fundraiser on September 15. Eva - Marie deCardenas, Coordinator of External Affairs of CCISD, reported there are 408 new teachers and 1,000 new students this year which totals approximately 37,000 students enrolled this school year. Dan Seal of BAHEP reported that prospect activities remain strong with business leads. He also reported on Governor Perry's support in economic development has been the strongest in the last twenty years and explained how the Houston Regional Economic Development Alliance group brings together 35 regions within the Houston -Galveston area and how their respective economic developers work together to further economic development. C. Marketing- Deanna Wilke provided a marketing report regarding recent print media coverage. Ms. Wilke is helping plan the Broker/Developer Day which includes the email invitation, printed invitation, and powerpoint presentation. The municipal channel slides were updated and billboard rates and availability were gathered. The third quarter e- newsletter is in progress. The annual Chamber ad is being created. Carol Jones stated the Chamber directory is distributed to approximately 10,000 households. It was discussed incorporating the corporate relocation campaign message into the Chamber ad so that it will reach business owners. D. City Staff — Karen Capps reported that as suggested, she followed up with several businesses that came to DRC meetings to check their status. Three of those that she was able to make contact with stated they are moving forward with their development plans. E. Project Status updates — Karen Capps gave a status report on incentive grant projects that had been approved by Council and other prospects. 7. Adiournment. The meeting was adjourned at 10:15 am.