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<br />ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION-June 18,2007 <br /> <br />5 <br /> <br />Community Development Director Karen Barton stated that the EDC has identified 19 goals <br />organized around four cornerstones of economic development and segmented to address the EDC <br />Strategic Imperatives, stemming from the charge ofthe EDC, as follows: <br /> <br />EDC Strategic Imperatives <br /> <br />. Build an organization that will support economic development <br />. Attract and facilitate a community that fosters investment <br />. Retain and grow the existing business base in the City of Arden Hills, while at the same <br />time tolerate churning in new business start-ups and existing businesses <br />. Develop and maintain strong relationships between City leaders and the largest corporate, <br />academic and non-profit residents, and <br />. Create an environment attractive to educated, creative or talented individuals to provide a <br />strong workforce for the City's businesses, with emphasis on quality more than quantity. <br /> <br />Four Cornerstones of Economic Development <br /> <br />. Building an Organization that Supports Economic Development <br />. Creating a Community that Fosters Economic Activity <br />. Retaining the Existing Business Base <br />. Attracting New Investment <br /> <br />Economic Development Strategic Plan Goals. in sununarv; <br /> <br />1. Community and Economic Development Director <br />To emphasize the priority of economic development within the city, the EDC <br />recommends changing the title and job description of the Community Development <br />Director to Community and Economic Development Director. <br /> <br />2. Support Staff for Economic Development <br />The EDC recommends the City hire a full-time Economic Development administrative <br />assistant to assume the support responsibilities necessary for meeting these goals and <br />priorities and to aid the Community and Economic Development Director in <br />assuming and managing added responsibilities. <br /> <br />3. Council and Commission Development <br />The EDC recommends periodic training sessions for the City Council and <br />Commissioners to provide information and increased expertise on a variety of topics. <br /> <br />4. Strengthening of City Administrator's Position <br />Economic development in Arden Hills hinges on maintaining and developing a <br />qualified staff. This is facilitated by the City Administrator having full administrative <br />responsibility of the City while the City Council bears the responsibility for policy <br />and legislative roles. The EDC recommends a consultant be hired to identifY and <br />