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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2004-11-18 ACE MINUTES• • • ALLIANCE FOR COMMERCE IN ENGLEWOOD N ovemb er 18 , 200 4 I. CAL L T O ORDE R Members of the Alliance for Commerce in Englewood (ACE) convened at 11 :40 a .m. in the City Council Conference Room of the Englewood Civic Center. P resent: Absent: Lonborg, McDermott, P anetta Cook, Guinther (both having given previous notice); Schalk and Vasilas (no pre- vious notice of absence received) Council Liaison Wolosyn Chamber of Commerce Liaison Penning Also Present City Councilman James Woodward Staff: Economic D evelopment Coordinator Hollingsworth There was not a quorum of the ACE membership present, so no formal action could be taken. The following issues were discussed: • ACE Bv -Laws: Mr. Hollingsworth repo11ed that a rough draft of by -laws has been pre- pared and is in the City Attorney's Office for review and comment. He anticipated t hat the by-laws would be ready for review by ACE at the January, 2005 meeting . • ACE "P a rt v": Mr. Hollingsworth noted activities of ACE over the past year, including development of the Economic Development Strategy, and suggested a "party or pat- ourselves-on-the-back celebration" for our accomplishments. Mr. Hollingswort h sug- gested that perhaps a committee of one or two ACE members could prepare a "chart" of ACE accomplishments in 2004 and brainstorm a means to recognize those accomplish- ments. Mr. P anetta noted that he recalled a goal of ACE was to prepare a quarterly up- date of activities that could be used in an annual report. Points made during subsequent discussion include viewing/discussion of the Activity Chart by the entire ACE member- ship; development of an annual report or activity chart will establish an historical basis for ACE; will the annual report focus on activities of ACE, or will it also include the "condition of business in Englewood" that could later be used to market the Englewood b usi ness communi ty. Former members of ACE (Jim R ees was cited) were to be con- tacted for their perspective of ACE activities for inclusion in the annual report. • Mr. Panetta sugges ted t hat members of ACE also keep in mind issues they woul d li ke ACE to consider during 2005; he noted that ACE should be a "pro-active" board, not j ust a "re-active" board. The issue of a 2005 Work Program for ACE is to be on the January, 2005 agenda . H :\GROUP\BOARDS\ACE\Minures\2004\ACE 11-18-04 .doc 1 • • • • Business Registration: Mr. Hollingsworth led discussion on the possible general busi- ness license/registration proposal. City Council considered the proposal at a study ses- sion on November 8 1h. Discussion at the study session emphasized that the proposal for license/registration of businesses is not and should not be considered as a revenue source, but rather gathering information to use in a data-base to provide improved customer ser- vice to and for the business community. Mr. Woodward commented that City Council will rely heavily on input from the ACE members on the proposed registration/license is- sue, and that Council did like the "Always Buy Englewood" emphasis. Council does have questions, however -how will be information be used? How far will the informa- tion/database be expanded? How does the business community be brought into the pro- posal as a "win/win" situation for the business community and for the City? Mr. Hollingsworth discussed the work that developing the license/registration program will entail: coordination with other City departments ; legal issues that need to be explored and resolved; research experiences that other cities have had with their business li- cense/registration programs ; how to write the program without penalizing a ny business, and assure that information requested is not "intrusive". Access to other databases of businesses , such as through Dunn and Brads treet, were briefly explored. Ms . Lonborg also suggested contacting the Secretary of State 's Office for business database informa- tion . • Mr. Panetta cited critical points to be considered in the business license/registration pro- gram: o Emphasis on "what is in it for the business "; o What procedure will be followed if a business decides not to register? o He asked for refinement/justification of "administrative costs" for the program. Mr. Woodward asked if the fee is an "annual fee", payabl e on initial registration only, or payable when changes in title or ownership status occur. Mr. Hollingsworth suggested there should be some type of "renewal process" for the license/registration program. Ms. McDermott questioned how the proposal will be marketed to the business community ; how do we propose to make business people understand it is a "win/win" situation for them and for the city. Ms. Lonborg suggested that when Mr. Hollingsworth is talking with other jurisdictions that have such a program he explore how they marketed their program , is the program success- ful, what were the marketing costs, and what are annual costs to administer the program . Mr. Panetta noted that ACE is representative of the business community, and has an established re- cord of being pro-business/anti-taxation that affects the business communi ty. If ACE, after re- view of the finalized license/registration proposal , determines it can suppor t the proposal the membership can be advocates for the program. Marketing/notification methods were discussed . Mr. Woodward suggested flyers inserted in util- ity bills, informative articles in the business fax and information in the Chamber newsletter might also be used . Mr. Woodward also suggested that Mr. Hollingsworth research the eco- nomic development benefit to the City from a license/registration program, and the ratio of the marketing/administrative costs to those benefits . H :\GROUP\BOARDS\ACE\Minutes\2004\ACE 11-18-04 .doc 2 • • • • Economic Development Strategy: Mr. Panetta noted that the Public Hearing on the proposed Economic Development Strategy before the Planning Commission is scheduled for December 7, 2004 . He asked that staff send some notification to ACE members closer to that date reminding them of the importance to attend the Hearing. Mr. Hollingsworth stated that the Economic Development Strategy will be an amendment to the City's Comprehensive Plan. The Planning Commission reviewed the document at study session earlier this fall, and made several suggestions. These suggestions have been incorporated in the document, but do not impact the "action" goals of the Strategy. • Comments and Events: Ms. McDermott noted that the Chamber of Commerce Holiday party is scheduled for December 16 1 \ 5:30 p.m. There was no further discussion . Meeting disbanded at 12 :30 p .m. - Agenda Items: Approval of Minutes from October 14 , 2004 2004 ACE Activity Report 2005 Work Program Action Item: Notify ACE of ED Strategy Public Hearing before Planning Commission on 1217/04 . Staff research for Business License/Registration Program H:\GRO U P\BOARDS\ACE\Minutes\2 004\ACE l l-1 8-04 .doc 3