06-Various minutes from meetings

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PEDC Board Meeting Minutes October 19, 2010 0 Recent/upcoming meeting/trips - PEDC Quarterly Report to City Council, October 25, 2010; Chamber Banquet, October 28, 2010; FabTech Trade Show in Atlanta, Georgia, November 2-5, 2010; I-30 Corridor Planning in Texarkana, November 12, 2010; ICSC Trade Show in Grapevine, Texas, November 17-19, 2010. Doug Wehrman presented the highlights of the IEDC Annual Conference that was held in Columbus, Ohio, September 26-29, 2010. Doug told those present that each Board member would benefit from attending this type of venue. It provides an international networking opportunity second to none. He met the owner/CEO of Scott brand fertilizer who confirmed that Texas IS wide open far business. For instance, Incubators provide a$30 return in local taxes over a 5-7 year return on investment with no applicable negatives; Need data on current business; College to assist with needs of business; Visits to existing business, very important; Met a number of Economic Development (ED) Directors and commended the Board for hiring Steve Gilbert to serve as Paris', great choice; Each ED Director had same commonalities, i.e., lack of water, sewer, transportation are major road blocks to getting industry to come to their communities; Eleven Mega Regions will be formed upon completion of the Panama Canal with Paris being one of the eleven served by the port of Houston. He stated that there was a lot to learn but that he was excited about the future for the Paris area. Discussion and possible action regarding the Executive Director's authority to approve operating and maintenance expenses not to exceed $7,500 per occurrence. Steve told the Board that to be more fiscally responsible and to minimize financial risk, many cities hold a city manager to an amount he/she can approve without council approval. Steve felt that the Board needed to provide him with a maximum spending amount for Operating and Maintenance expenses that he could approve without official action by the Board. Doug Wehrman made the motion to allow the Executive Director to spend up to $7,500 in non-capital expenditures, per occurrence; seconded by Dan Smith. Motion carried. Discussion and possible action regarding PEDC's promotional and advertising options for Fiscal Year 2010-11. Steve provided the Board with a list of advertising expenditures for the FY 2009-2010 that ended September 30, 2010. In years past, the PEDC has spent thousands of dollars on national advertising, billboards, etc. Site selectors scour web sites looking for demographics, incentives, natural resources, transportation, existing infrastructure that meet what their current client is looking for to consider relocating or expanding in a particular area. Only large corporations use site selectors. Personal relationships are what the PEDC needs to promote Paris, Texas. Discussion took place as to consideration of making on-site visits to the corporate headquarters of existing industry, target site consultants, suppliers to current industry and making contacts. The Board would like to: a) plan a planning session with the city council; b) have a relationship building social event (possibly a steak cook-out) and c) "Starting Points" to include objectives both strategic and tactical. No action was taken on this item. The Board recessed at 5:32 p.m. and reconvened at 5:37 p.m. Discussion and possible action regarding Economic Development Consulting and Marketing Services Proposal by Retail Attractions. Steve told the Board that the proposal from Retail Attractions had been negotiated into two phases of work. He would like the Board to consider Phase I, to include: 2 17