HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes - Economic Development Committee - 06/30/2019 - July 1, 2018 - June 30,2019 Annual ReportEconomic Development Committee Annual Report
July 1, 2018 to June 30, 2019
Committee Overview
• The Economic Development Committee was established by the City Council under a resolution approved
May 7, 2018, with the intention to
o develop a strategic economic development plan aligned with the City’s housing, transportation,
energy and environmental goals as well as infrastructure capacity.
o promote South Burlington businesses’ future prosperity and the quality of life of our residents
with a commitment to quality, sustainability, and smart-growth principles.
• City Council appointed our members and our first meeting, with Kevin Dorn, City Manager, as our staff
liaison, occurred October 22, 2018.
• Committee Members: Michael Albertson (Clerk), Seth Bowden (Vice Chair), John Burton, Sam Handy
(since resigned), Linda Norris, Jacob West, and John Wilking (Chair)
Accomplishments
• 2018 – 2019 was predominantly about organizing ourselves, reviewing the comprehensive plan and how
that may affect our direction, identifying areas of focus, and starting outreach to public and private
entities for input.
• Met with Nick Grimley of the VT Dept of Economic Development to discuss Opportunity Zones
• Met with Cathyann LaRose on the Comprehensive Plan
• Met with Ilona Blanchard on the City Center project
• Met with 3 property owners with influence on Exit 12B
• Met with Charlie Baker of Regional Planning with specific focus on Exit 12B
• Discussed opportunities for block chain technology
• Responded to City Council / Manager regarding two new tax proposals. Provided feedback on unanimous
lack of support of an additional 1% add to the local option tax, and potential conditional support of a
rental car tax (required additional information). These proposals came to the Committee at the eleventh
hour and required a special meeting for our input. While we thank the Council for requesting our input,
the Committee respectfully requests future City proposals be forwarded to the Committee with
reasonable timing to allow the gathering of information to allow a more informed response.
2020 Priorities
• Establish baseline economic development data, such as job numbers, major employers (50 or more
employees), average salaries, grand list value and square feet for office, retail and warehouse/industrial
uses, etc. We know some of these items will be difficult to obtain and may require a third-party source
and associated budget.
• Promote best economic opportunities for the City. We expect this will focus in two directions. First, we
need to establish the foci of other Committees and their economic impact. Second, we need to pay
better attention to business clusters and regional assets such as the airport, our hospitality and health
care industries.
• Provide the City Council with an economic perspective on City projects. We see this as Council driven and
ideally leading to the Committee providing “white papers” on our research.
• Support local businesses and their retention. We see this as a combined effort of the Committee and
staff. The Committee would establish a list of base questions for interviews, and look for monthly
feedback. Staff would reach out to at least 4 employers per month with no less than one of these being a
direct meeting (versus phone interview).