2021-04-21 EDA Minutes - Approved

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City of Centerville EDA Minutes April 21, 2021 2. Communications a. None Introduction – Samantha Markman Executive Director Statz introduced the Samantha Markman, Economic Development Specialist with Anoka County Regional and Economic Development (ACRED). Ms. Markman explained that she had most recently worked with Economic Development at the City of Faribault, Minnesota. She asked about the Centerville EDA’s strategic plan and how she could best support the Commission. The Commissioners introduced themselves and spoke to Ms. Markman about the EDA. President Hanzal stated that they were looking at ways to attract new businesses. Commissioner Weatherhead introduced himself to Ms. Markman, and spoke about the Technology Corridor and the banners that would be going up soon. Ms. Markman stated that she had worked on the revitalization of Faribault’s historic downtown, as well as industrial growth in the industrial park along Interstate 35. Commissioner King asked Ms. Markman about her background and about the size of the City of Faribault. She stated that the town was approximately 25,000 people, and was located in Rice County off the Interstate 35 corridor. She has a Bachelor of Arts in Urban Studies from the University of Minnesota, and did private consulting work. She is originally from the City of Faribault, and working for her hometown was a unique experience. She helped bring in an HVAC rooftop manufacturer to the city, which was a 40,000,000 project that created 300 jobs. Executive Director Statz explained to Ms. Markman that Centerville is boxed in by Lino Lakes, and showed her a map of the remaining commercially zoned land in the city. He also explained that the EDA had three functions; to support existing businesses, attract new businesses, and facilitate redevelopment. He stated that they hadn’t yet found the tools necessary for redevelopment. He explained Block 7 to her and the history of it along with downtown. President Hanzal asked her about the incentives she used to bring to Faribault. She explained that the city and the county provided five-year tax abatements, and the leveraged state incentives from the Job Creation Fund (JCF), which gives money back to the company as jobs are created. The also Hanzal asked about incentives used to bring the HVAC company to Faribault. Ms. Markman stated that the city and county provided 5 year tax abatements. They also leveraged state incentives through the Job Creation Fund (JCF), which gives money back to the company for every job created. They also received funds from the Minnesota Investment Fund (MIF), and two million dollars from the State also has Business Development Public Infrastructure Program (BDPI) to extend infrastructure to the land. The City of Faribault EDA also gave $150,000.00 Page 2 of 5