City Administrator Elizabeth Hansen said the council will review and approve a development agreement between the two entities after a City Council-NEDC retreat to be held on May 18.
During the TIF Appropriation public hearing, council heard from two Nevada residents.
Gary Clem told the council that he held Nevada's history of ecnomic development in high regard, and that he believed the council should continue to support the NEDC, even though he was not in favor of a bailout. Clem, a former councilman who helped hire NEDC Executive Director LaVon Schiltz, said that although there is risk involved, with that risk there needs to be accountability and a better understanding of the NEDC's activities.
Clem said he believed the current NEDC board had the ability to move Nevada forward.
"Let's get on to the future, but let's be selective about what we are going to do with economic development. When they are starting to put a deal together, the public needs to be exposed to it; we need to know what we are going to have to deal with. I am asking the council, as part of this agreement, to develop some transparency."
Nancy Miller said she echoed what Clem said, but that she wanted to "take it a little bit further."
"While they have a board, the activities are primarily conducted by the executive director, and we need to consider also who's leading that group...As we look toward the future, we need to look at what has been done and what is definitely being planned for the future."
During the NEDC quarterly report, NEDC Director LaVon Schiltz told the council that the NEDC continues to have monthly contact with Syngenta, and the project is still on indefinite delay. Citing other big projects across the state that are delayed, including the Microsoft project in West Des Moines, Schiltz said, "We all hope that the economic situation will improve soon, so that things can get back on the road again."
Schiltz announced that Nevada is now a part of the Des Moines-Ames corridor region. She said the Iowa Department of Economic Development is currently creating regions of development in the state. The Des Moines-Ames Corridor Region includes Des Moines and its surrounding suburbs, Ames, Nevada and Boone. "All marketing that is done (for the region) will be done on a cooperative basis." Schiltz said.
Schiltz said the NEDC gave $1,000 and that the region has $75,000 to help with marketing projects for development. She will attend conferences in Montreal in July and Tucson in October with other representatives from the region.
"This is a good program, and it will allow us to do a tremendous amount of marketing without using a large amount of money," Schiltz said.
Schiltz also left informational packets about the NEDC for council and residents in attendance. She said the group hoped to post the information on the city's Web site and noted that it would run in the Nevada Journal in the coming months. "We hope this will answer some of the questions that have been posed."
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*Nevada Mayor Jerry Gull spoke with the council about the Nevada Auditorium Committee's inquiry about the council's interest in transferring Gates Hall to the school district. The council decided to place the topic on the May 11 council agenda for discussion and appropriate follow-up, with the potential to set a public hearing.
*The council awarded the bid for the S-14 resurfacing project to Mannatt's Inc. of Ames for $288,654.20. According to City Engineer Neil Guess, this was the only bid received, which was advertised state-wide. It was $4,000 above engineer estimates.
*Jorge Zamora, a representative from the Nevada Jaycees chapter, thanked the city and its staff for supporting the Jaycees' Nevada Annual Bike Ride over the last nine years. The ride is this Saturday, May 2. Registration begins at 9 a.m. at the community building on the Story County Fairgrounds.
*Nevada Senior Community Center Board Chair Kathy Highland updated the council on fundraising efforts for the new building. Originally, the deadline to raise funds was April 30. Highland said that they were currently $33,000 short, but that "we are too close to give up at this point. We will continue to beat the streets and get that money pulled in." Highland said they are still waiting to hear about several grant requests. She said senior day trips will begin in May, and that the Nevada ABWA chapter had donated a Wii for the center.
*Councilman Walt McDonald thanked Marion Fitzgerald, an Alliant Energy representative, for Alliant's cooperation in fixing street lights. Currently, on the city's Web site, residents can submit information for street light repair. Fitzgerald said that they were considering expanding that type of service to all of the communities Alliant serves.
*Gull gave a proclamation on Municipal Clerks Week, which is May 3 - May 9, to recognize the accomplishments and services provided by City Clerk Teresa Peterson-Smith and deputy clerk, Donna Mosinski.
*Nevada Police Chief Michael Tupper announced that the Nevada Police Department held a very successful bike rodeo on April 18. Tupper said they had more than 60 participants, and said many community partners assisted with the program.
*Tupper also reported that the department had a successful prescription drug drop-off event on April 26. He said residents dropped off 65 pounds of medications, including 22 pounds worth of prescription pills. "A lot of drugs were taken off the street, and potentially out of the hands of people that don't need it," he said.
