News Article
Letter to City Council on Economic Development Proposal
Mayor and City Council Members,
My comments below are in regard to the working group session held January 12th concerning economic develop proposed changes.
I believe we have a good economic development system operated through the Elkhorn Valley Economic Development Council (EVEDC), while it may need a revised focus and course correction given our changing times and future trends.
What has changed in 5 years to justify a significant change in direction since all of the current council members were in place 5 years ago, is the system broke or does it just need goal and action plan changes and more economic development resources from the City? The citizens approved the collection of approximately $250,000 a year for economic development from sales tax revenues, just not the plan on how to expend those monies.
Regional economic develop will be even more critical in the years ahead. We have that structure, participation, and trust already established in the EVEDC. We should not be considering backing out of this existing relationship; rather we should be discussing how we can build upon this collaborative system. This will become even more critical if the temporary moratorium on new irrigation wells and irrigated acres, industrial expansion for our region is made permanent. Putting a “throttle governor” on production agriculture and industrial growth will impact every community, school district, county for our foreseeable future.
Do the strategic planning goals need to be revised and the steps modified to reach tangible milestones, probably given changing world economies and the synergies we already have with our current businesses. Let’s use the connections EVEDC has already made in our region and the relationships that have developed over that time period to forge revised strategic planning goals.
I believe expanding the EVEDC executive team would be an excellent first step where the City of Norfolk can allocate additional personal resources to the effort. The City Council should have additional representation on the board when these additional resources are allocated. I believe there are sufficient accountability measures in place to verify we are getting value for the dollars invested. We don’t need to create more bureaucracy; we just need more vision and the understanding of trends and their impacts to our region. We need board members that have a passion for the region and also have the vision and understanding of strategic plans relative to the ever changing world around us.
We are building the case of connecting and collaborating critical resources whether they are physically collocated in the cubicle next to each other or not. Given our communications technologies we can enhance our synergy without the creation of more bureaucracy while maintaining accountability and visibility.
I believe all partners need to provide monies besides personal resources to the economic development equation. When you don’t provide a monetary stake in an investment then will you apply your best personnel to the task, sufficient time to the endeavor, and the commitment to the process? Does the same pay formula need to be followed for all partners, not necessarily which can be reflected in the board composition. Given my experience, you put your most valuable assets to work on the most tangible long term tasks and expected outcomes. For a relative simple example, we are not filling potholes in the streets rather we are defining the goals for what type of transportation and communications systems we need for the future.
I’m convinced we can establish agreements between EVEDC and the City to minimize any overlap and ensure the team members are working together toward a common goal. The members of the executive team would have their own personal performance plan that can be administered by their employer. The existing EVEDC board and City Council would decide whether to have a single team leader and what those roles and responsibilities would be. The other regional partners would continue to contribute their fair share in support of their communities and counties economic develop efforts. Does this generate more challenges, yes, however the increased collaboration should generate improved results.
Please seriously consider continuing to build on the EVEDC structure, process, and personnel that has worked and can continue to work with all partners in our area. The City has already provided approximately $250,000 over the past 5 years to EVEDC. Increase the City’s investment in a system that has even greater promise for our future. Let’s build on this solid base of trust and cooperation with increased City resources!
Mark Hall “Transforming Ideas into Reality”
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