05 - MINUTES OF JULY 24, 2017 CITY COUNCIL MEETING

Home Browse Search

Regular Council Meeting July 24, 2017 Page 4 Derek Hughes, 627 5h NE, PEDC Board Member, said he would like City Council to postpone this and consider changing the PEDC to a 4A/4B, which would allow them to do infrastructure projects. A.W. Clem, 2980 Hubbard, said their law firm was trying to attract young lawyers to Paris to provide quality legal advice, but the community was getting harder and maybe it was the politics. Mr. Clem said the City needed an industrial program and Paris had a tremendous problem with poverty. Louise Moseley, 3915 Shannon, said the PEDC had not changed in twenty -four years. She said she thought it was important to let the voters decide how they want to spend their money. Mrs. Moseley also said even the president got elected every four years. Kelli Mallicote, co -owner of Body Guard, said they were PEDC's success story. She described how the company started and stated they created pnm „lobs and exceeded the numb er.;;that was required incentive agreement. She said 1aoufaeied goods locally, and shipped them everywli' including 0 national levee She said PEDC helped them in many apcts of teir business. Mrs. Mallicote told the Council she grew up here, welt :away to coo ge, returned home and started a business She further said PEDC was the reason they brought theiz business to `Paris. She said the voters needed to be educated: prior to taking this to a vote. Guy Dalrymple, 620 SE 390 Street, he said that we just had a national election and he was now listening,, to the same thing, whic`�tsey mere sayig the people here were not educated enough to vote. Mr. Dalrymple sail it gets a htte old. Bill Sttathern, he said the people voted on PEDC 23 -24 years ago and the PEDC had spent $24 Million Dollars. Mr. Strathern said what they had to shoo` for the money was a bumper plant, a good one, but questioned what the citizens got for $24 Million Dollars. Mr. Strathern encouraged the City Council to not postpone this, but move forward and just let the citizen's vote. A.J. Hashmi, 4510 FM 195, he said he did not understand why they were discussing this, because the City Council had already voted at their last meeting to call an election. He also said he was a proponent of cutting expenses, but did not think that every penny should go towards roads. Dr. Hashmi said he did not know if it could be done or not, but thought they should look at requesting half of the quarter cent go for EDC and the other half to roads. Anna Spencer, 1710 34h NE, she said she was in agreement with closing down PEDC because they received an average of $1 Million Dollars a year and there was so little to show for it over 24 years. Ms. Spencer said she looked at this as a business decision. Chad Lindsay, he said at the last meeting he asked City Council to delay the vote to give the new board members a chance on PEDC. He also said at the last meeting there were a lot of people who spoke and conversation was continuing tonight and should continue.