HomeMy WebLinkAbout10-01-2007 SPECIALJEFFERSONVILLE CITY COUNCIL SPECIAL SESSION
Meeting Memorandum -Monday, October 1 2007 - 5:30 P.M.
City Hall 3rd Floor Conference Room
Council President Keith Fetz called the meeting to order at 5:30. P.M., and on call of the
roll those members .present were: Councilpersons Keith Fetz, Ron Grooms,' Ed
Zastawny, Nathan Samuel, and John Perkins. Also present was Chief Deputy Clerk
Treasurer Barbara Hollis. Following discussion, Councilperson Samuel made the motion
to approve the agenda with the removal of Agenda Item #8, replacing it with an
amendment to the Vehicle Identification, Ordinance, second by Councilperson Perkins,
passing on a vote of 5-0.
S.LM.E.I.
Mr. Gary Leavell and Ms. Maxine Brown, representing S.LM.E.L, Inc. (Southern Indiana
Minority Enterprise Initiative, Inc.) explained a .plan (attached), asking for a financial
commitment from the City. Councilperson Perkins asked if consideration has been given
to using the Welcome Center. Mr. Leavell said the group prefers its own identity.
Councilperson Samuel asked if the Tourism Bureau has made any financial commitment.
Ms. Brown explained they are providing a new brochure and constructing a cabin. Mr.
Leavell said. the key is to be able to tell the story. Ms. Brown noted Jeffersonville could
'' influence the whole State. Councilperson Zastawny asked if there is a model. Ms.
Brown said one is being developed. Council President. Fetz feels there is no opposition,
however with the current budget system it would be difficult to find the money.
Councilperson Samuel urges the group push others. Council President Fetz suggests
Hoagland be contacted. Following all discussion, Council President Fetz made the
motion to farm a committee, of Councilpersons Samuel, Grooms, and Fetz to meet with
Hoagland, second by Councilperson Perkins, passing. on a motion of 5-0.
Councilperson Sellers arrives at 6:30 P.M.
First Amended Campaign Finance Code
Council President Fetz reviewed the .need to amend Ordinance No. 2006-OR-36,
Campaign Finance Code. Ethics .Board., Chairman. Derek .Spence reviewed the changes
answering questions. Clarification was requested on several of the areas.. Following all
discussion, Councilperson Perkins made the motion to table .Ordinance No. 2007-OR-56,
! 1St Amended Campaign Finarice Code, second by Councilperson Sellers, passing on a
vote of 6-0.
page 2 October 1, 2007
Vehicle Identification Amendment
Council President Fetz explained Ordinance No. 2007-OR-57, An Ordinance Requiring
City Owned Vehicles To Display Vehicle Identification Stickers.. Following discussion,
Councilperson Perkins made the motion_to suspend the. rules for Ordinance No. 2007-
OR-57, second by Councilperson Sellers, passing on a vote of 6-0. Councilperson
Samuel said he would. appreciate receiving a copy of proposed Ordinances earlier.
Council President Fetz made the motion to pass Ordinance No. 2007-OR-57 on all three
readings, second by Councilperson Perkins, passing on a vote of 6-0.
Tax Abatement Request
Redevelopment Director Barry Cahill explained Resolution No. 2007-R-29, A Resolution
Approving Statement Of Benefits For Purposes Of Personal Property Tax Abatement
(Eagle Steel). Following discussion, Councilperson Samuel made the motion to pass
Resolution No. 2007-R-29 (Five Years), second by Councilperson Perkins, passing on a
vote of 6-0.
There being no her bus~~ _ to~.~o. efore the Council, the meeting adjourned at
6:50 P.M. ~
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Counci resident Keith
Attest:
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Clerk Tr rer Peggy Wilder
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Draft 7/27/07
Southern Indiana Minority Enterprise Initiative, Inc.
S. I. M. E. I., Inc.
Introduction
The Southern Indiana Minority Enterprise Initiative, Inc.(S. I. M. E. L, Inc.}, afive-year old
Jeffersonville-based not-for-profit organization whose mission is to increase the numbers of
minority and women owned businesses in Southern Indiana, was awarded atwo-year $50,000
planning grant in Aprii, 2005. The Indiana Rural Development Council awarded the grant
to determine the feasibility of creating an African American heritage trail as a heritage tourism
initiative. The project targeted four rural counties in Southern Indiana -Gibson, Harrison,
Jefferson, and Orange. Then in April, 2007, the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs
awarded S.LM.E.L, Inc. a $100,000 grant to implement the heritage tourism plan. As a
condition of the grant, local partners were required to "buy" into the project. The Jeffersonville
Urban Enterprise Association became a partner by granting $20,000 to be spent on business
development efforts within the Enterprise Zone. This participation added Clark to the mix of
target counties, bringing the total number of sites to five. The trail is being designed to begin
in Jeffersonville, which will give Jeffersonville prominence as a tourist destination. Community
Action of Southern Indiana, which helped launch S.I. M. E. I., Inc. when it was established,
continues as a partner by providing office space at no cost. Thus, in addition to creating a
heritage trail linking historical African American settlements for tourism purposes, S. I. M. E. L,
Inc. is also attempting to encourage tourism-related business starts among African Americans in
the region. The overarching challenges are as follows: Devel~in~ rural Indiana into a tourist
destination; Creating_an appreciation for the inclusion of African American history and heritage
into Indiana. history; Creating tourism-related business starts.
The Status of African American Business in Jeffersonville
According to the Indiana Department of Administration's Certified Minority/Women
Business Owner List, there are no minority firms in Jeffersonville that are certified.
There are several small businesses that are owned and operated by African Americans,
but these are not certified. Most are beauty/bazber shops with a sprinkling of other kinds
of enterprises. These data clearly show that there is a need for the City of Jeffersonville
to prioritize African American business starts as one of its goals.
Historically, African Americans have had a difficult time securing opportunities of any
kind including economic opportunities. In her book 'The Negro in Indiana Before 1900,
author Emma Lou Thornbrough states:
"In the economic realm, as in others, Negroes were. in a disadvantageous position. Their
resources were small and prejudice against them strong. Nevertheless, a sizable number
were able to establish themselves as independent farmers. Prior to the Civil War the
colored population, like the white, was lazgely rural. The census of 1850 showed that of
the 2,150 Negroes who were listed as following an occupation, 976 were farmers. Of the
remainder, 720 who were listed as "laborers" were in many cases farm laborers. In clear-
ing the forest and transforming the state from a wilderness into a prosperous agricultural
society these Negroes played a part."
Heritage Tourism as an Economic Development Tooi
Cultural economic development is a relatively new aspect of economic development. The
Urban Institute defines culturally based economic development as activities intended to pro-
mote increased market participation among traditional artists and arts organizations, as well.
as other arts and cultural organizations, such as historical sites, museums, theaters, and art
galleries. Therefore, cultural economic development could be anything that uses the arts or
culture to affect change in a given location and at the same time creates new business/
emplayrnent opportunities.
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According to a position paper developed by the U. S. Department of Commerce and the
President's Committee on the Arts and Humanities for the 2005 U. S. Cultural and Heritage
Tourism Summit, "A Snapshot of Cultural & Heritage Tourism" stated the following domestic
statistics:
. Eighty-one percent of the 146.4 million U. S. adults who took a trip of 50 miles or more
away f rom home in the past year can be considered cultural and heritage tourists.
. Compared to other travelers, cultural and heritage tourists
- Spend more: $623 vs. $457
- Use a hotel, motel or B&B: 62 percent vs. 55 percent
- Are more likely to spend $1,000+/-: 19 percent vs. 12 percent
- Travel longer: 5.2 nights vs. 3.4 nights
. Historic/cultural travel volume is up 13 percent from 1996, increasing from 192.4
million person-trips to 216.8 million in 2002.
. The demographic profile of the cultural heritage travel segment today is younger,
wealthier, more educated and more technologically savvy when compared to those
surveyed in 1996.
. 35.3 million adults say that a specific arts, cultural or heritage event or activity
influenced their choice of destination.
~ecific Request of Jeffersonville Citv Council
The specific request to the Jeffersonville City Council is fora $51,800 amount over a
one-year period that will enable the Southern Indiana Minority Enterprise Initiative, Inc.
to lease the outbuilding outside City Hall that has already been built out for a small food
services business. If the first year of operation proves successful, a request would be made
for the grant to be renewable annually. We envision utilizing this building, which historically
served as a segregated rest room facility, as a welcome center for tourists and others interested
in learning about the history of Jeffersonville's historic African American settlements. At the
same time, S. I. M. E. I., Inc. will assist with the establishment of a minority-owned food
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services business that will not only service tourists, but regional business as well. It is
envisioned that there will be historical panels that tell the story of Jeffersonville's African
American history and from time to time there will be special events associated with the business,
such as the development and showcasing of a cook book with recipes from African American
families in Jeffersonville that have been handed down through the generations. Or, it might be a
food tasting event for some specialty item. The Southern Indiana Minority Enterprise Initiative,
Inc. will provide oversight of the business somewhat like incubating it within. the scope of
the heritage tourism project. S. I. M. E. L, Inc. will match an appropriate entrepreneur to
become the manager/business owner in training so the the developing owner can be "coached."
The manager/ business owner in training will be given a period of six months rent free to get the
business started. In addition, included in the budget will be monies to purchase furnishings and
equipment. Two additional items in the budget will be to compensate the manager/business for a
period of one year at a reduced rate. The business will be evaluated at the end of year one to
determine whether or not it has been successful.
It is anticipated that the business will operate between the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m.
focusing on coffee and breakfast items as well as light luncheon items. It is hoped that the
combination of tourists plus other regional customers will enable the business to flourish.
The following budget is presented for consideration:
Year One
Lease/rental to Hoagland $16,800
Purchase of furnishings/equipment $ 5,000
Compensation for manager/business owner in training $10,000
Oversight by S. I. M. E. L, Inc. $ 20,000
Total
$51,800
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<4 formula that will require the business owner to gradually assume the costs of the operation
is recommended as follows:
After the first six months rent free, the manager/owner in training will pay $500 per month out
of profits for the second six months of the first year. An evaluation of the business will be done
at the end of the first year. However, if the business is operating satisfactorily, then after the one
year period, the manager will become the owner/operator and will pay $700 per month with the
remaining $700 subsidized by the grant. There will be consistent monitoring of the expendi-
tares and income to insure the profitability of the enterprise. Such an arrangement is
recommended in order to enable the Southern Indiana Minority Initiative, Inc. to accomplish its
goal of having the new business serve as a welcome center associated with the heritage tourism
trail.
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