Minutes 06-19-2018 - Laserfiche WebLink

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38 The Board of County Commissioners appropriated $30,000 in the FY 2017-18 budget from the Article 46 sales tax to host an Economic Development Summit. At its April 3 meeting, the BOCC chose to partner with WCHL to broadcast the summit live on the radio and Internet. The Board chose to hold the event at the Whitted Building in Hillsborough on October 10, 2018, from 3:00 – 7:00 PM, so that it can also be broadcast on the County access channel (channel 1301 on Spectrum). Staff and representatives from WCHL have met several times to determine topics and panelists for the summit, based on comments and feedback from Board members related to the Food Council and wages. Staff has incorporated these ideas into the program as outlined below with suggested topic areas to be amended and approved as the Board determines. Chair Dorosin said he feels there is something missing from the program, and he would be interested in some discussion that provides context around economic development: how it impacts housing availability, access to employment, etc. He said he would like to see something that reflects the inner connection between tourism, business recruitment and the arts, which puts some perspective around the social service that is significantly impacted by economic development. He said he does not think that they need two segments on tourism, and the two segments in hour three could be combined into one. Commissioner Jacobs agreed, and said the schedule does not have body. He said economic development also has a major impact on transportation, land use, water quality, etc. He said it may be worth discussing how this is envisioned working in the future; articulating a vision of where the County is going. Commissioner Marcoplos also agreed too that something was missing, and regular working people also need to be addressed. He said the categories, as listed, have an air of only being for the college educated. He said he is an owner of a small construction company, and if there was training available for young people in his field, it could lead to real and meaningful work with good pay. He said people are leaving the County, but there are a lot of trade jobs available, and he would like to focus on this issue. Commissioner Rich said she liked Commissioner Macroplos’ idea, and agreed that the two tourism segments could be one. She referred to Chair Dorosin’s comments, and asked if that could be at the end of the program to tie all the parts together, and sharing the vision. Commissioner McKee agreed with Commissioner Rich. Commissioner Price said the portion suggested by Chair Dorosin should be at the beginning to draw the audience in, and provide the theme. Todd McGee said staff will promote this extensively ahead of time, and the moderator would set the stage at the beginning. Commissioner Price said certain words can be more attractive than others to draw listeners within the first few seconds, and it would be helpful for the BOCC to know the overall scope is going to be. She said it is difficult to push the arts, as related to economic development, and it may be wise to move this later in the program. Todd McGee said the schedule has been organized due to the fact that the audience will get larger as the afternoon progresses, as people are leaving work, etc. Chair Dorosin suggested 15 minutes at the beginning of the program to frame out some context, and 30 minutes at the end. He said to shave 5 minutes off each segment to get the beginning 15 minutes, and to take 30 minutes from hour 3 to use at the end to wrap everything up. He also agreed with Commissioner Marcoplos’ points. Todd McGee asked if the Board would like to have all of the Commissioners on a panel in the last 15 minutes, or select a more narrow body.