04-02-14 EDC - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

2 critical in having an effective BRE program. In Arden Hills, this group would be comprised of the Mayor, the Council Liaison to the Economic Development Commission (EDC), the chair of the EDC, the City Administrator, the Community Development Director, and a business representative from one of the major employers in the City. Additionally, a staff member from the Community Development Department would serve as a staff liaison to the Leadership Team and would be responsible for administrative duties and assigning specific tasks related to the BRE program to other staff. The Task Force is a larger group of volunteers that sets the overall framework and goals of the program. This group should represent a broad cross-section of the community and have members with different areas of expertise. Cities that can recruit a diverse task force increase the likelihood of priority projects being implemented.2 In addition to the Leadership Team, the Task Force would be made up of the remainder of the City Council, members of the EDC and the Planning Commission, several local business owners representing different industries, and a representative from the Mounds View School District, the Metro North Chamber of Commerce, and Bethel University. The Leadership Team would be responsible for identifying and recruiting individuals for the Task Force Team. Following the organization of these two groups, the BRE program would focus on conducting the business visits. Arden Hills would likely work with a consultant that has already designed an interview survey specifically for BRE programs. The benefit of using a standard survey is that it has previously been tested and can easily be reused if a BRE program is repeated in the future. Additionally, the results of the analysis can be compared to data collected by other cities that have carried out similar programs. If a standard survey were to be used, the Leadership Team could still work with the consultant to add questions particular to Arden Hills. City staff would present different options to the Task Force Team on the potential scope of the BRE program. Since Arden Hills has a relatively small number of businesses, the BRE program would likely take a comprehensive approach targeting all businesses within the city. Alternatively, the program could focus on a certain business district or type of industry. The Leadership Team would be responsible for making a final decision on this matter. An introductory mailing would be sent by staff to all businesses providing an overview of the 2 Morse, George W., and Inhyuck, Ha. 1995. “How Successful are BR&E Implementation Efforts? A Four State Example,” Department of Applied Economics, University of Minnesota Staff Paper P95 -13.