HomeMy WebLinkAbout06-25-19
CITY OF LAKEVILLE
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION
MEETING MINUTES
June 25, 2019
1. Chair Scherer called the meeting to order at 4:00 p.m. in the Marion Conference
Room at City Hall.
Members Present: Comms. Collman, Emond, Dautel, Matasosky, Scherer, Smith,
Starfield
Ex-officio members: Mayor Anderson, City Administrator Miller
Members Absent: Comm. Gillen, Seiler, Stone
Others Present: David Olson, Community & Economic Development Director; Kati
Bachmayer, Economic Development Specialist; Mark Lofthus, Dakota Electric
Association
2. Approval of April 23, 2019 Meeting Minutes
Comms. Matasosky / Starfield moved to approve the minutes of the April 23
meeting as presented. Motion carried unanimously.
3. Presentation by Mark Lofthus, Economic Development Director for Dakota
Electric Association
Mr. Olson introduced Mark Lofthus, Economic Development Director at Dakota
Electric Association (DEA) to the EDC members. Mr. Lofthus said his job involves
looking for economic development opportunities in DEA’s service territory, including
a portion of Lakeville’s industrial park. Mr. Lofthus told the group that Lakeville has
more industrial land than any other city in DEA’s service area and has several
attractive options for industrial development, including data centers. Lakeville is
served by two electrical providers – DEA and Xcel Energy. Property owners are not
able to choose a preferred provider; rather, the service areas have been determined
by the State of Minnesota.
It was noted that Dakota County could benefit from a communication strategy that
informs data center prospects that our area is a great place to do business. Dakota
County and Lakeville are in line with available data center services when compared
to locations that are currently seeing development of these types of projects. Mr.
Lofthus mentioned that he met with staff from Dakota County who are serving on a
steering committee focused on the County’s economic development efforts. The
EDC members expressed an interest in seeing Dakota County’s brand support the
individual cities’ brands through a coordinated partnership. Mr. Lofthus mentioned
that the Dakota County Regional Chamber of Commerce is also in discussions
around a regional branding effort. EDC members requested more information at a
Economic Development Commission Minutes June 25, 2019 Page | 2
future meeting about what Lakeville has done for marketing and inquired whether a
branding study should be conducted to help achieve our economic development
goals.
Mr. Olson informed the EDC members that Mr. Lofthus was retiring from DEA at the
end of July and wished him well in his future endeavors.
4. Review of Business Subsidy Policy Wage Rate Requirements
Mr. Olson reminded the EDC members of the 2017 discussions that occurred
around the City’s Business Subsidy Policy and the language approved by the EDC
and City Council regarding the policy’s minimum wage requirements. Mr. Olson
brought this topic to the group’s attention because City staff have been informed that
the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development has
increased the minimum wage requirements for its financial incentive programs to
$15 an hour for seven-county metro jobs. As a result, the City of Lakeville will only
consider financial incentives (such as Tax Increment Financing or Tax Abatement)
for qualifying development projects that result in the creation of jobs paying an
hourly wage of $15 or higher.
5. Progress Report on 2017-19 Strategic Plan for Economic Development
Mr. Olson brought the EDC members’ attention to the document provided in the
EDC packet that shows that economic development progress that has been
achieved in 2017, 2018, and year-to-date 2019 on the City’s strategic priorities
(identified in the Economic Development Strategic Plan. Much has been
accomplished in the past two and a half years, and more discussion is forthcoming
this fall as the EDC participates in an update to the 2017-2019 Strategic Plan to
create a vision for the City’s economic development goals for 2020-2022.
Mr. Olson informed the EDC members that the City will be sending out a Request for
Proposal in the next few months to several consultant firms in order to solicit bids for
the strategic planning process.
6. Director’s Report
Mr. Olson drew the EDC members’ attention to the City’s new interactive
development map that is available on lakevillemn.gov/developmentmap, which
allows residents to view recently completed, approved commercial/industrial,
proposed commercial/industrial, residential, and institutional development projects.
Mayor Anderson informed the group that the City Council discussed the existing
storm shelter ordinance during its recent Work Session and provided information
about the City’s existing policy and alternative policies up for consideration. Mayor
Anderson also mentioned that Eureka Township will be holding an open house on
July 9 to discuss the idea of adding commercial and industrial zoning districts near
Lakeville’s southern border.
Economic Development Commission Minutes June 25, 2019 Page | 3
Mr. Olson stated that a group of City (including Mayor Anderson), Chamber of
Commerce, and school district staff met with the President of Dunwoody College of
Technology recently to tour BTD and Uponor and to discuss the workforce
challenges our local manufacturers face. The meeting was an opportunity to explore
ways the entities could partner on workforce development initiatives.
Unless otherwise noted, the next EDC meeting will be held on July 30.
Adjourn
Meeting adjourned at 5:16 p.m.
Respectively submitted by:
Kati Bachmayer, Economic Development Specialist