1-28-26 EDC Minutes - Laserfiche WebLink

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ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION – JANUARY 28, 2026 11 Community Development Director Reilly said there are only 5 or 6 members on the EDC, plus the youth commissioners. Having a subcommittee that is 3 out of the 5 members doesn’t make sense. It makes more sense for all of the business owners and non-business owners in this group to be in that conversation. Chair Murchie said it’s too much to cover in our monthly meetings. It’s better to have sidebar conversations to gather information to inform conversations at future meetings. He can be involved, but as a resident member, maybe his time would be better spent thinking about how to support the 75th anniversary. Community Development Director Reilly said a subcommittee equals more staff time. This city has very few staff. Chair Murchie said that’s exactly the point. He thinks Commissioner Bonine was saying he wanted to sit with staff and have an hour of their time to help understand. Senior Planner Fransen said when planning the in-person visits, there were three people meeting monthly, outside the regular meeting and she would have a one-hour conversation. Community Development Director Reilly said a subcommittee needs to be effective. Chair Murchie said he has two concerns. Maybe there’s only three members on a subcommittee, but subcommittee members will bring that information into the dozens of conversations they have with people outside of this space. His second and bigger worry is what happened today created tension between the business community and the city. That cannot be allowed to grow. It’s important to recognize the needs that the city has, including limited staff and limited resources. We have structures in place that tell us what we have to do. They are our baseline guiding principles. Given those constraints, how can we move forward together? Having a conversation can be helpful. Senior Planner Fransen said this is a lot to chew on. Staff will have a conversation about next steps. Staff will also verify what supports we have in place to continue these conversations. If there are alternatives to conversations that need to take place outside of the EDC meetings. There have been some items identified to help continue the conversation. 4. UNFINISHED AND NEW BUSINESS A. Report from the City Council None. B. Economic Development Commission Comments None. 5. ADJOURNMENT Chair Murchie adjourned the meeting at 9:19 a.m.