5.6. SR 04-01-1996'ity of
iver
MEMORANDUM
Item 5.6.
TO:
FROM:
DATE:
SUBJECT:
Mayor and City Council
Pat Klaers, City Admin~.,a/t/~r
April 1, 1996
Economic Development Coordinator
Task Force Update
The Economic Development Coordinator Task Force met with the Executive
Search Consultant Jim Brimeyer on Friday, March 22, 1996. At this
meeting, the Task Force evaluated the position profile and recommended
some changes in this material. Attached for your review is the final version
of the position profile.
One of the items discussed on 3/22/96 was the title of the position. It was the
consensus of the Task Force that the position title be changed from economic
development coordinator to director of economic development. If this is
acceptable to the City Council, this title change should be approved by
motion of the City Council.
Another issue discussed by the Task Force was the pay range for this
position. The pay range being suggested is 5E versus the current pay range
of 3E, but this pay range change needs to be justified by the comparable
worth point ranking and the actual duties of the position. The starting pay
listed in the community profile of $45-52,000, fits into either pay range. No
action is being requested of the City Council on this issue at this time and
there will be more discussion on this topic at a later date.
Attached for your review are the draft 3/22/96 Economic Development Task
Force minutes.
s:XcouncilXedtfupdt.doc
13065 Orono Parkway · P.O. Box 490 · Elk River, MN 55330 · (612) 441-7420 · Fax: (612) 441-7425
Director of Economic Development
Position Profile
Elk River
Where city and country flow together...
Community
TI~ City of Elk River is ioc~_!_~_ on Hwys.//169 and gl0 within a thirty mlnut~ drive time to th~
Twin Cities metropolitan area or to St. Cloud. The City is si_m,,~__,xt at the confluen~ of the
Missisaippi River and the Elk Rive~ cr~tting a peaceful setting for 14,000 r~,idents. Elk River
serv~ as the county sea~ of Shertmm~ County. Shcdxam~ County i.~ tun-early one of thc/ast~t
l[ltb~ORY
TI~ blinding of {ho two rivers created a natural setting for transportation and trade and in 1849
~tt~trs established a trading post. Al about the same lime, & farme~ named Oliver H. Kelley
carved out his own plot of land in the area. la 1867, Kelley founded an org~tion known as
lt~ Grange which grew mtionwid~ to nearly one million mmnbers and ov~ {h~ years has helped
to i _,_n~ove social and enxmomic conditions for fanmrs, Today {h~ lr~Hey Farm i~ a hying
hisgory fa~m where visitor~ can experience life from th~ year~ 1860 to 1876 in authentic d~ail,
COMMI~CE AND DEYEIX)PMENT
has tak~ place along the Highway 169
corridor and tho Highway l0 corridor has
~eallent potential for additional ~ and
in~us~ development. Smcral industr~
Ira~xiaaioa links ami hou.~ a variety of
United Power Associ~ is the City's largest lax i~y~ and employs 431 work~. UPA sttppBes
electricity 1o 15 distribulion cooperntives in Minnesota and Wisconsin. In 1988 they ooa.stroc~ ·
r~ '"~ing and storage baildlng which hns since becon~- ~ of ~ Anoka County Resonrc~ Reco~-ry
1~,- .-,ry. Mmti¢il~l solid wasle is broughi to the facility from ~w countie~ and n~'ycled or ~
for foci. A $2.2 million expansion of tl~ plant was completed in 1~93.
The Sherbumo Connty Comiit0ase also expanded in 1993 and c~'rcotly employs 265, T~ Gmtdim
Angels nursing facility employs 230 and has re~mtly completed oomtructim~ of · third wing,
N~us mamdacturing companies are locat~ in tl~ City's five indu~hial parks. Etk River
lndutrial Park is · fully d~vdoped 80-acr~ padc. A~o~her business p~rk his · 40-ac~ eapacily with
tootl ~ of I5,300 squa~ feet.
In 1994, infrastmctu~ improvements supporled the developmen~ oi~ · 310,000 squa~ foot retnil omter
on s 52-acre site. Tenants includ~ Target, Wendy's lnlematim~, T~co Bell, and First National Bank
of Elk River. Recent d~iopna~t~ includ~ l-lillsi~e C~s~ing - · 14-acre commmciaI ~ bo~ing Sax
Food a~d Drug. A new 160,000 sqnnre fool M~nards is currently and~ constmc6on on ~
169.
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I~DUCATION/EF..A~TH CARE
The City's ~ employer is Independent School Dislrict 728 with 600 employees. TI~ School
District setups ~early S,000 st~.,a~ts. The public sobool syst~n inclnd~ · high school, two
!~" schools, and sc-yen eletn~tary schools. Fiv~ parochial schools serve students from
C...nunity Eduction offers many classes for childnm and ~,,4,,1~ In addition, · teclmical oolle~ and
a comnmnlly colle~ are located nearby ~ mtiversities a~ found in Minneapolis ~d St. (~_.OHd.
~gional hospi~ located in Corm R~ds is witl~ · lS ,,~ute d~ive.. M4~liod, den~, ~c,
C~ptl~¢, aI~ Ye.~'il~l~'y fa~t'~tie~ ~ ~'oHl~d within t~
comprised of 15 family practic~ physi6nns. 'I'ne Guardian Angels long-term care ~ serve~ the
ne~ts of lho elderly and includes · 36-unit apauimmt building fo~ moderat~ incom~ clients.
PAXI~ ~ RKCRK&TIONICOMMUNrrY EVF, NTS
Elk Riwr maintai~ 13 parks and a Stat~ pm4t is Ioc~ed in tl~ a..~. Lake Orono offers ~dents
st vstrie.~, of re~r~ationnl wnte~' ae~ivitle~. A grnn~ 41~ of July celebr~tio~t i~ held ~.10rono P~rk
an R~ lak~. Eye,ts include mn-~ic, f~anily g~nes, food, and & water ~i ~ow. A firewo~k~
disl~y end~ the day. The Sl~erburne Cotmty Fair is an ann~tl snmn~r eve~ wltlch fe.qtttre~,
Polioe protection is provid~ by 15 swot'n officers, a 19 me~nber r~serve force, and three
commtmity serviee officerz. The 35 member vohtnteer Fire Depamnent is he. Med by a fi~l-tin~
Fire Cl~ef. ~ Fir~ Dep~'tment nlso re,ponds to medical emergenci~ a~td ~mplements
The City of Elk River offers municipal sewer and water services. The municipal wn~er snpply i.~
dnv, n fron a r,~ie.s of wells. The ~lon~ c~p~ity ex___o~-,~ 2 minion gilons. The w~st~ter
~ pla~ has a current capacity of over I million ~ and is ~ndergoing expansion to
__*,:c,'_~ 2.2 glXi. Electrical power is ~istn~outed through the Elk River Municipal Utilitie~
aad ~hz Anoka Electric Coope~ve. The City of Elk River contracts through private I~ulers to
l~x~ weekly refuse se~ce ~md biweek/y recycling seohces.
e Organization
The City of Elk River was hcorporated in ! 8~0 and was eonsolidnted in I977 with FJk River
Township resulting in a 44 sqmtre milo nnmicipal corporation. ~ governing body consists of a
Mayor, elected at large, taxi four Coun~~rs. The City employs n total of 62 full-time
personnel and 37 part-time workers. Th~ gene, t-al fund budget for 1~96 is $4.2 million.
The Position
The Director of Economic Development posilion was cleated in 1987. The lX~ition reports to the City
Administrator and i~ responsible for economic developmcnt a~ivities for the City including m~keting,
analysis of financial assistance resources, and serving as liaison to conun~ce and industry devdopcr~.
Th~ position also bolds the title of F. xec~tiv~ Direedor for tim ~ De~iopm~t A~bority and
the Housing Rede~lopm~ Authority. Specific responsibflifie~ include:
* Assist in the l~N:~nration of an ammsl work plan and implemen! economic development pla~s ~s
directed by the City Com~cil, HRA, nd EDA.
Represent th~ interests of the depeflmem with other Cily officials, goveiammt a~mcies, comnmnity
orgmgzations, developers, and ~ g~eral public.
* Aitr~ new develepment and assist in the retantion and eapansica of the cun-ent indumial nnd
commenial bnaioeas~.
Provide information rc'gatding land and building availability, markets, work force availab~ily, taxes,
transport, utilities, and finaa6ng to businesses.
* Work with the Finance Director to ck'velop strat~ie~ for the allocation of financial assistan~
including Tal Increment Financing, Industrial Revenn~ Bonds, Community Development Grants,
Federal, State and local funds, mad the City's Revolving Loan Fund.
* Coordinate development isme~ with tl~ City Adminish-aor, City ~, Building and Zoning
Administrator and F immc~ Dirootor.
* Make frequent oral and writtm reporls on d~elopmmt issues.
* Develop and monitor the depaxtmen~ budget.
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Bac>mtnd antl Erperience
~ c~ndidstes will have & Bnchelor's degree in Business Admini~on or Public
z~dllxilllislr~:ioll ~ a misalrmllll of fiv~ yc~r~ e.~l::~ri~ ill ocollomi¢ d~/ih[Ol~mellt with
empl~s on ~g ~ g~lic~v~ ~g. Fi~ ~ ~ ~ ~~ ~
* lignific, n! ~peri~ i~ ~he d~elopm~ of p~blic/l~ivate parteersh~.
~ understand, lng of public financing tecimique~ including T~ ~t F~g ~d
v~ ~ ~ {~s ~d~ SBA, ~D, ~ ~ve F~. Ex~ ~ ~
p~e ~ ~d ~i~e of b~ ~i~ ~d ~ hw.
Connec~ons to o:hec professionals in the industrial d~velopmeat al~a.
Experien~ working wflh elected officlal~ and nn und~rsum~ of the political process.
Exl~rimoe in co0pet~ve efforts with county economic d~velopmmt officials.
~ding of planni~ and w,,i%, c~x~cepts.
Metropolitan municipal exlgrieme is desirable.
Managemen: C~abRil~
'~e a proficient spokesperson for the City along with the Mayor amd i~)A Chn~tnm. Semv~ as tko
~ contac~ perscm on 4~-,velc~ment issues. Be active in the Chamber of ~ cut service
Take an aggrcssive and competitive npproac~ towards putting programs tog~her while being
nlndful of (:it,/politic.
~' M. ai~tz.~ clo~c c, omm~micalJo~ wilk eleck~ officials ~ Ci~ stnff to keep tlxmz izz. L'~ of' thc
progress of dcvclopmcnt projects.
* Be abIc to make decisions attd willing to act independently within the governtnent framework.
* Reco?i~,e the strengths and capabilities of othe~ and be able lo eoo~ ~u effective p~ect
* Deal honestly and directly with people while ~maining tactful,
* Have I~e ab~ty to explain eomplex Gnancial proposals to developezs and elected officials.
Por~:~oa Pdo~s
Meet with the business nnd industry leaders to gsin ne ~m~g of the industrial leadership in
the City. Learn the opem~c~s of the City's companies.
* Initi~ a s~rate~ic p~ program focus~ on lon~-ra~
* Maintain a relalionship with the City's current businesses and eucourage Iheir grow~ sn~ fulure
expansions.
* Inclement an industrial business incubator program working cio~ly with the County a~l ~he FDA
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* Util~e privat~ ~ contacts and work towtr~ achieving more public and private
a~t~.
* M~in~in the City's Stat City clean, on.
* A~isl in ~e effort to p~omoie a viable reiat~ envi~m~nt, working towzr~ ~ ~acancies in
~e ~wnlown and mall areas.
D~tm' of Economic Developtncnt; City of EL River, MN (lX>p. 14,000). S~a~ting salm-y range
$45,000 to :~2,000. Position i~ req~onsiblc for aH economic d~'v¢lepmeat activities including
Ii ,g~t ind.-b-iai, comm~rciaX, re~l, and office development. Position reports to ~e City
Adm;ni,s~t~ato~ ~ serve.~ as Executive Director to the ~xx~non~¢ Development Authority and
Honsing Redevelopment Authority. Qualified can,+idates should have a l~.belor's degree
Pu~Li~ or ]~L~I:Iesil Admlnlsttation and a minimum of 5-7 yeats in ecenomic d~vdopment and
red~opmenL Desirable experience includes auece~sful progmzns in bnsiness re, ration and
expan~io~ downtown revitalization, and d~monatrated job creation siaRegiea. Send ~ by
4/26/96 to: Jamea L, l~ri-~Ter, T~e la~imeyer Group Executiv~ Sear~, 904 Ma~a~t
Hoplciz~ MN 55143, (612) 9454Y246, ~ax: (612)945-0102, E-nmU: B~upli~ol.com
4/26/96
~;/14,/96
Week of 6/3/96
July, t~J6
Deadline for Appti~tion
Presentation of Candidates
Interviews, Selection
Start Date
MEETING OF THE ELK RIVER
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT TASK FORCE
HELD AT THE ELK RIVER CITY HALL
FRIDAY, MARCH 22, 1996
Members Present:
Mayor Duitsman, Councilmember FarDer, EDA Commissioners
Dwyer and Gongoll, HRA Commissioner Kropuenske, Chamber of
Commerce Representative Houle, Staff Members Klaers and
Johnson
Members Absent: None
The meeting of the Economic Development Task Force was called to order at 7:30 a.m.
Jim Brimeyer of The Brimeyer Group, Inc., the executive search consultant hired by the
city for the filling of the economic development coordinator position was present and
led the discussion on the results of the 25 interviews that were held with community
leaders on March 5 and March 6. The results of these conversations helped form the
draft economic development coordinator position profile. Input received helped Jim in
defining the management capabilities and position priorities that are included in the
profile. The Task Force went through the draft position profile page by page and offered
comments for changes in the profile so that it would more accurately reflect the position
and community.
The reporting relationship for the position was reviewed and discussed. It was the
consensus of the Task Force that the employee should be the executive director for the
EDA and HRA, but must report directly to the city administrator. The employee would
have the independence to formulate his/her own staff report to the EDA, HRA, and City
Council, but, at a minimum, the city administrator must be advised as to the
recommendations on various proposals and projects.
Discussion took place regarding the pay range necessary for this position in order to
attract quality applicants. Jim reviewed with the Task Force his recent experiences in the
city of Northfield. After further discussion it was the consensus of the Task Force that the
responsibility of the position as outlined and discussed is more than the former economic
development coordinator position. The Task Force agreed to recommend a change in
the title to the City Council to call the position director of economic development. The
Task Force also felt that based on an analysis of the work assignments a change in
comparable worth point ranking and a pay range change of 5E should be
recommended to the City Council. The current pay range is 3E for the economic
development coordinator. Staff explained that in order to increase a pay range, the
positian's point ranking must also change. Staff further explained that a change in point
ranking must be justified through changes in position responsibilities and duties and that it
may be most appropriate to reevaluate this after the candidate is selected.
Extensive discussion took place regarding "what the position is to do" once an employee
is hired. The need for an overall economic development strategic plan was discussed.
Jim reviewed his experiences in developing a strategic plan for the city of Hopkins and
Economic Development Task Force ~fl~]? Page 2
March 22, 1996
the efforts currently taking place in the city of St. Louis Park. The Task Force requested
further information from Jim on the development of a strategic plan for Elk River's
economic development program.
The Task Force agreed to advertise for this position in the local journals and newspapers
and to concentrate the search in the upper midwest. One national ad would be placed
which is standard for this type of position.
The timetable for the selection process was reviewed. It was the consensus of the Task
Force to meet on Tuesday, May 14, 1996, at 7:30 a.m., at City Hall to receive a progress
report from Jim on the status of the applicants. A written progress update is anticipated
from Jim near the end of April. The deadline for applications is April 26, 1996.
The meeting was adjourned at approximately 8:50 a.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Patrick D. Klaers
City Administrator