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City of Bozeman
Economic Development Council(EDC)
Approved Meeting Minutes
May 20,2010
11:00am- 12:30pm
Bozeman City Hall
Yellowstone Conference Room
Attending:
EDC -Gary Bloomer(Tech Ranch), Stuart Leidner(Prospera Business Network), Cheryl
Ridgely(Bozeman Deaconess Hospital),Chris Westlake (Midwest Welding and Machine),
Tracy Menuez(Human resource Development Council), Daryl Schliem(Bozeman Area
Chamber of Commerce), Eugene Graf(Graf Construction/Real Estate), Chris Mehl (Bozeman
City Commission)
Absent:
Done
Staff:
City Manager Chris Kukulski and Assistant to the City Manager Brit Fontenot
Public:
There were five members of the public present:
Hattie Baker, Michael Blanck, Tom Egelhoff, Brianne Rogers and Alex (unintelligible)
1. Call to Order—Chair Chris Westlake
Chair Westlake called the meeting to order at 12:05 pm.
2. Approval of minutes from the April 22, 2010 EDC meeting
It was moved by Mr. Schliem, seconded by Mr. Leidner, to approve the April 22, 2010 EDC
minutes as amended.
The motion to approve the April 22, 2010 EDC minutes as amended was unanimously passed 8 -
0.
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3. Public Comment
Chair Westlake called for public comment.
Brianne Rogers and intern Alex (unintelligible) from Senator Max Baucus' local office
introduced themselves.
Hattie Baker representing the Mayors Community Climate Task Force explained the
Task Force mission and composition. She expressed a willingness of the Task Force to
work with the EDC on reducing emission and on economic development and energy
efficiency programs. The Task Force would like to be on the July EDC agenda to share
some of the Task Force's Commission recommendations with the EDC and look for
opportunities to work together in areas of common interest.
Michael Blanck, private business (branding and marketing) consultant is interested in the
work of the EDC both locally and in the region.
Tom Egelhoff of smalltownmarketing.com is attending with interest in the work of the
EDC.
4. Report of observations by Council member Daryl Schliem,Bozeman Area Chamber
of Commerce, based on 100 + recent interviews conducted in the area business
community.
Mr. Schliem (Bozeman Area Chamber of Commerce) provided a brief introduction to his
remarks. He stated that of the 100 plus interviews he has conducted with area business owners
concerning the "business friendly" nature of the City of Bozeman and surrounding areas, the
majority of those interviewees that offered criticism of the City's efforts to attract and retain
businesses did so in reference to past (pre-2010) Bozeman City Commission efforts. Many of
the critical comments come from developers in the area who, by the very nature of their business,
are at odds with the City's regulatory policies. Most frequent criticisms by those interviewed
include:
a. When applying for permits, staff was not as helpful as they could have been in
assisting customers with and through the permitting process, applicants made to
feel unwelcomed and unwanted, poor attitudes;
b. Staff makes personal judgments about projects and project locations;
c. Staff retaliation on applicants who seek and get approval of variances;
d. The City made application process seem daunting and unappealing;
e. Lack of cooperation by the City;
f. Lack of communication at all levels, department heads often provide clarity but
other staff not able to provide the right answer the first time;
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g. Lack of consistency, each department seemed to be concerned with only itself and
lacked the capability or desire to see the bigger picture and the importance of
cross-departmental communication
h. Fiefdoms and silos exist in departments;
i. Impact fees are set too high;
j. Too much duplication of process leading to unnecessarily extending timelines;
k. Why is the city not run more like a business?
5. Report of observations by Council member Stuart Leidner,Prospera Business
Network, based on recent research conducted in the preparation of the Economic
Development Plan.
Mr. Leidner addressed the following two questions: 1) What is the purpose of this Council and
2) how do we move the work forward? He stated that the Economic Development Council
(EDC) bylaws state the objective of the EDC is to "advise the commission on economic
development issues and review the implementation of the economic development plan[EDP]."
and in this context coordinate the work of the EDC as appropriate with the 2010-2011
Commission work-plan.
Mr. Leidner suggested that there are six goals strategies in the EDP that should be focused on:
Specific recommendations and priorities of the City of Bozeman Economic Development Plan
fall under the following 6 general economic development goals:
1. Support the expansion and retention of existing businesses and economic clusters
that will continue to strengthen and diversify the economy and create higher
paying jobs in Bozeman.
2. Maintain and upgrade infrastructure to support current and future needs of
business.
3. Support education and workforce development initiatives to provide Bozeman
with the qualified workers to meet the needs of business.
4. Leverage local, state and federal economic development resources to enhance
economic growth in Bozeman.
5. Create a more collaborative and effective working partnership between the
business community and the City of Bozeman and effectively manage the City of
Bozeman's regulatory environment to accomplish goals without hindering
business expansion and economic growth.
6. Maintain the high quality of life that is considered an important asset to the
business community.
There was consensus among the Council that the recommendations and priorities of the City of
Bozeman Economic Development Plan under 6 general economic development goals, and the
respective sub-sections will be discussed in detail at subsequent EDC meetings.
6. Discuss and establish EDC group priorities and metrics of success.
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Consensus of the Counsel was achieved on how the EDC will move forward with the EDP. In
general the EDC will review, in detail, each of the 6 general economic development goals found
the City of Bozeman Economic Development Plan Section VII, Bozeman Economic Development
Plan Goals and Strategies and City of Bozeman Economic Development Plan Section VIII,
Implementation Matrix, always mindful of the City Commission's 2010-2011 adopted work-
plans. The Council intends to 1) build action items off the EDP's Goals and Strategies and
Implementation Matrix; 2) prioritize those actionable items based on a combination of timeline
for implementation and responsible implementing organization, and based on the aforementioned
information and analysis 3) make recommendations to the Bozeman City Commission.
7. Discussion and decision of whether to schedule an additional EDC meeting each
month for the next few months or until the EDC determines that meeting once a
month is sufficient.
The Council determined that beginning with the June 3, 2010 EDC meeting, the Council will
meet twice a month,the first and third Thursdays of each month, from 10:30 am— 12:00 pm at
City Hall in the Yellowstone Conference Room until further notice.
8. Next steps/agenda items for June 3, 2010 EDC meeting.
Chairman Westlake asked all EDC members to come prepared on June 3rd to discuss City of
Bozeman Economic Development Plan Section VII 1, a—f in detail.
9. Adjourn.
Chair Westlake adjourned the meeting at 12:25 pm.
*Full audio of the meeting is available upon request.
s Westlake, Chairman
ATTEST:
Brit FontenokIssistant to the City Manager
PREPARED
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Brit Fontenot,Assistant to the City Manager
Approved on �'J'w-0-- ` � a
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