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Page 1 of 2 <br /> <br /> EDC AGENDA ITEM – 3A <br /> <br />MEMORANDUM <br /> <br />DATE: March 27, 2024 <br /> <br />TO: Economic Development Commission Chair and Commissioners <br /> <br />FROM: Elena Fransen, Senior Planner <br /> <br />SUBJECT: Economic Development Commission Work Plan <br /> <br />Requested Action <br /> <br />Staff requests the members of the Economic Development Commission review the drafted work <br />plan and discuss which of the listed strategies and specific tasks to prioritize. The EDC should also <br />consider how members can work on the refinement of strategies such as tasking to smaller groups <br />or sub-committees and what other resources might be needed for a strategy. <br /> <br />Background <br /> <br />At the January 10, 2024 EDC meeting, commission members discussed initiatives and strategies <br />for the commission’s work plan. Some ideas included a business survey, business directory with a <br />map, business highlights in the City Newsletter, a business welcome packet, community event for <br />business networking as well as a community event for residents to learn about local businesses. <br />The vision and mission of the Arden Hills EDC came up several times. Support was voiced to <br />establish a vision and mission as a foundation for the EDC work plan. <br /> <br />At the February 28, 2024 EDC meeting, staff presented the drafted EDC Work plan template <br />(Attachment A) which includes the drafted EDC Mission, Programs/Initiatives, and <br />Strategies/Specifics. The drafted work plan is based on guiding information from the 2040 <br />Comprehensive Plan Chapter 8 as well as the suggestions from the EDC members and items <br />identified by the City Council for the EDC to work on. <br /> <br />During the meeting, the group reviewed the mission and gave initial reactions to the drafted work <br />plan. Staff shared that the next steps for the work plan would be to prioritize strategies for the rest <br />of this year and earmark certain tasks for a later date. Attachment B highlights the strategies that <br />have been identified so far with a column for prioritization. <br /> <br />Discussion <br />Staff recommends starting the discussion with a review of the drafted work plan and revisiting <br />the drafted mission statement in its current form. Then the group could focus on the drafted