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CR 93-38 Hopkins Business & Civic Association ( '1 : \"1 Y 0 I -(\' .,.' : !~I l _ '-, ! , I i I I .oS- CO I o P I ~ I K , i. "-' -' 'w The focus ,of HBCA is to cestablish 'a' single voice representing business '" interests in Hopkins, emphasize economic development activities best'accomplished by the business community with respect to business retention and recruitment, and .f'oster . closer relations with the business, community as well as the.,' relationship . between' . the business ,community and residential, communities. Staffing for HBCA' , will he provided through a contract with ,the TwinWest Chamber of /~ ,Commerce. . From a funding . that it" be financed through membershl.ps ($100 per member),' as well as fundl.ng from the JC's ($10,000),' and hopefully the, City of Hopkins. It. appears the goal,of the organization is to eventually become self,sufficient. In consideration for funding. provided .by the. City, HBCAis proposing to undertake activities. with' the City which assist . in . implementing various aspects of the strategic Plan, primarily related' to' business, retention and recruitment activities. Staff feels that HBCA development goals and as a result is expenditure of $15,000 to HBCA for 1993 PrimarVIssues to Consider. 0 What activities are proposed to be undertaken. 0 What is HBCA's funding request? 0 What are staff's recommended conditions? SUPPortinq Documents. 0 Alternatives 0 etter from HBCA =-\ , ~ Director ~-~-~-- , CR: 93-38 Page 2 ~ primary Issues to Consider 0 What activities are proposed to be undertaken by HBCA? The attached letter fromHBCA outlines a number of proposed initiatives to be undertaken. Specific activities to be undertaken,in consideration of the City'S monetary participation in the organization are related in large part to business retention/recruitment activities as outlined in the Strategic Plan. These activities would include: - Undertake a survey of all businesses in Hopkins to assess their needs and concerns such that appropriate strategies can be developed and implemented to help maintain their viability and the viability of the local economy. Undertaking a survey isafundamental step in developing a business retention/recruitment program. - Develop a business recruitment strategy and ,a program to implement that strategy. The strategic Plan does outline or recommend businesses to be targeted. However, a specific business recruitment strategy and implementation program still needs to be developed. . - Work with the city on expanding the "Leasing Guide" to include all business sectors in Hopkins. Currently, the City maintains a leasing guide for the Mainstreet corridor. The leasing guide is intended to serve as a tool to provide realtors and prospective businesses a list of available properties in the community. Based upon our experience with the Mainstreet Leasing Guide, developing a leasing guide for the entire City does appear to have merit as there really is no other listing service available for commercial properties, and in particular small commercial properties. It does appear that a more proactive approach needs to be undertaken in advertising the availability of the leasing guide and disseminating the information. - Develop a newsletter which would be sent to all businesses in Hopkins. In the past, staff has discussed the need to have a communication tool which is directly focused to the business community. However, staff was concerned about duplication of efforts due to the fact that the City already sent out a newsletter to all properties in the City, as well as the fact that HCP and the Twinwest Chamber of Commerce sent out newsletters as well. By working in cooperation with,HBCA, the City should be able to utilize their newsletter to provide information which is of specific' interest to business and industry in Hopkins. . f CR: 93-38 Page 3 .0 What is HBCA's funding request? As outlined in the attached letter, HBCA is requesting the city program $15,000 for 1993, $10,000 for 1994, and $5,000 for 1995. In recent years, the City provided $10,000 to HCP in consideration of specific events which were undertaken. Prior to this the City provided as much as $25,000 to HCP. Economic development funds were used as a funding source for HCP and would be used for HBCA. Staff is recommending that the city provide $15,000 to HBCA for 1993. This recommendation is based on two factors: - The level of service and assistance to be provided by HBCA warrants the $15,000 expenditure. - Undertaking the proposed activities and services does involve up front set-up costs which probably will not be experienced in subsequent years. 0 What are staff's recommended conditions? . e - That funding be provided in two equal semi-annual payments. The first payment would be. made up front with the second payment to be made in July. - HBCA shall report periodically .to the city Council on the activities and progress of the organization with particular regard to the services it is providing to the city. - This approval of funding is only for 1993. HBCA will be required to submit a funding request for subsequent years. . Alternatives City council has the following alternatives regarding this matter: 0 Approve the action as recommended by staff. 0 Approve the action as recommended by staff but change the amount of dollars to be provided to HBCA. 0 Do not approve the request from HBCA. 0 continue matter for further information. ,. .. - - -~----~~------ -- ~-------------~- " . HOPKINS C~SINESS CIVIC ASSOCIATION Dear Mayor Berg and Members of the City Council: The former Hopkins Business Council (HBC) and the former Hopkins Community Promotions (HCP) have now merged. The new Hopkins Business and civic Association is well underway in organizing and already implementing its new bylaws, structure and committee processes, etc. The Mission statement of the Hopkins Business and Civic Association is: The Hopkins Business and Civic Association ensures a strong economic development climate, provides promotional activities, encourages community involvement and fosters a sense of community involving both individuals and businesses. As you will notice, there is a major new focus to: 1) . establish a single voice representing all business interests in Hopkins including office, retail and industrial: 2) emphasize economic development activities best accomplished by the business community to obtain better results in recruiting new businesses and retaining existing businesses: 3) foster closer relations within the business community, but more importantly between the business community and the residential communities. The business community comprises a large majority of the tax base, subsequently, it is everyone's best interest to assure a strong and vital business community. At the.same time the residential base which provides the foundational resources _drives~the business ,community. ---~ ,~- _.---------",~- - ~-- Through discussions with city staff, we have devised an ongoing work program to help us achieve both our mission and the City's goals and objectives. Our work program envisions the business community as a major participant with the City in promoting and assuring the vital and necessary economic development in Hopkins. Implementation of the strategic plan developed jointly by business, residents and the City will be of primary concern over the next several years. As a first step, we plan on implementing the survey identified in the strategic plan. This survey will assess -- 10550 Wayzata Boulevard Hopkins, Minnesota 55305 (612) 540-0234 Hopkins Community Line (612) 939-1420 - .. . . both strengths and weaknesses. The survey will also . determine needs and identify potential opportunities such as training need for employees and technical managers. Small business with local focus provides job opportunities, however, a strong and innovative labor force drives growth. The Mainstreet project has taught us all a lot about the benefits of pUblic/private joint ventures. The results are all pluses. In partnership with the City, our work program will include: l. Formation of a strategy for new business recruitment; 2. Design programs to implement this strategy; and 3. Guide implementation. These three items apply equally to a strategy for business r~e~i~. . . Another element of our work program is to develop and maintain a regular newsletter. This newsletter will be distributed to all businesses in Hopkins. With the city as an active participant our partnership will include a primary communication tool between business, the City and likewise, our residents. - An additional effort of HBCA will be to work with city Staff to expand on the leasing guide and provide an ongoing basis for information retrieval.' . In addition to the traditional parts of community programming (which will be continuing), such as Music in the Park, Marketplace, active involvement in Mainstreet Days, Heritage Days, and the Raspberry Festival, you will- see anew face emerge. The business community will be: 1- Actively involved in the neighborhood advisory board 2. Actively involved in public policy input in partnership with City Staff 3. Actively involved to better coordinate our activities with the activities and resources of our civic organizations 4. Actively take the lead to attract new businesses 5. Actively work to retain and provide growth opportunities to existing businesses 6. Actively take the lead on, in partnership with City Staff, coordinating planning and implementation of the County Road 3 improvements. I have brought you the 1993 Menu for the Hopkins Business and civic Association. As you can see from this, as well as our work program, we have an ambitious undertakirig underway. -- :[' ' -" . When I appeared before you previously, I mentioned that it is our goal to become self-sufficient over the first three years. In the meantime, we need the City's help to go forward. Traditionally, the city has contributed to HCP in amounts ranging from $10,000 to $25,000 annually. As we get better situated, we would like to eliminate the need for ongoing city funding. We would much rather be in a position where we approach the City to help with specific programs or undertakings benefiting the entire city. To help us get there, we are requesting that the City program $15,000 for 1993, $10,000 for 1994 and $5,000 for 1995 to help us attain our goals. The returns will be significant and important. A strong economic development climate which encourages community involvement, fosters a sense of community, and implements a strategy of pUblic/private cooperation forms the very footing on which we build a community. Please help yourselves and help us to accomplish the very worthwhile mission. . Sincerely, ~~L . Mark O. Senn MOS/bjm -