West Central Mountains Economic Development Council
Meeting Minutes
January 12, 2021, 3:00 pm to 5 pm
Zoom
Executive team meeting (Jill, Dylan, Julie, Nicole, Andrew): Discussion of McCall contract framework and some board considerations about calling out only 3-4 deliverables when there are many additional items. Also, the challenge of continuity for fundraising as a nonprofit. Discussion about the agenda, bill pay for the month, budget and addition of a Zoom pro account to monthly expenses.
3pm: Executive meeting closed, general session started
Members in Attendance: Jill Chapman (President), Dylan Martin (Vice-President), Julie Good (Treasurer), Nicole Musgrove (Secretary), Cynda Herrick, Sherry Maupin, Gene Tyler, Linnea Hall, and Andrew Mentzer (Executive Director).
Members Absent: Patty Wold, Judith Nissula, Vonna Torrey
Agenda Ads: Dylan moved to approve the agenda as amended. Gene seconded, motion carried.
- Move brick and mortar to Lake fork (expire CUB membership)
- Set up EDC zoom
- FWRT letter of generic support
Community reports:
Donnelly–things are going well, gatherings are being limited, Ragazza is closed for 2 weeks due to exposures but taking careful measures to protect staff and the public, ski season appears to be going well at Tamarack–lots of snow!
New Meadows: There has been some staff shuffling between public works and EMS, city is also doing a Monday email blast to keep residents informed about happenings, the roads are currently very slick
McCall: City council passed a resolution promoting CDH directives, LOT taxes are on par with prior years, no businesses have applied for permits to use right of way for outdoor uses but SRB has been doing outdoor dome dining, there are two big public art projects on the horizon: Brown Park and Downtown, city also received $500k to complete the downtown core project. Lots of discussion about the 55/3rd street swap–both roads have some issues but ITD and the City are in good discussions, no winter carnival this year but some sculptures are likely, the chamber dining guide has been well received
Valley County: there has been a broadband infrastructure upgrade to the courthouse and road department–lots of movement on the broadband front overall, a road advisory committee has been formed and the waterways advisory/assessment team is being finalized, legislation is on the horizon for water quality and confluence summit is Jan. 25, fair board is looking to make it more of a regional event, county is seeking septic options for land in lake fork for housing, commissioners are also in discussions at the state level about implications regarding changes to tax code, snowmobile season is off and running and the county continues to work toward completion of the CIP and strategic plan
Cascade: all charges have been dropped against the previous police chief, snow bike race is happening at the end of january.
Treasurer’s Report: New fund established for early childhood, $2,500 for the video series was pulled from the economic summit ledger (to be reimbursed by McCall). Cynda moved to accept the treasurer’s report as presented, Sherry seconded. Motion passed.
Open discussion about the McCall 2021 contract. Board would like to have a discussion with staff regarding structure of the contract before approving. The work in the contract is generally included in the 2021 work plan, and can continue as part of the EDC’s metrics. The city is slated to review this January 28th.
Andrew’s transition plan covers the next 6 months, is transition-focused for organizational continuity. Andrew has agreed to join the board after contract completion to ensure a seamless transfer. All docs are currently held on Google Drive but can move them to an external hard drive. Plan includes helping with ED new hire, writing job descriptions, navigating the Commerce MOU. Additional discussion about early childhood position hire, titles and time frames. Gene moved to approve the transition plan, Juile seconded, motion passed.
2021 work plan: Limited discussion, Sherry moved to approve, Dylan seconded, motion passed
2021 budget: Limited discussion, Dylan moved to approve, Sherry seconded, motion passed
Letters: Friends of the Weiser River Trail requested a letter of support for their 2021 grants. Andrew requested some additional detail but the board could put forth a generic letter of support. Board approved Andrew to write a generic letter, if additional detail is needed, the board can review again.
Cami Callan appointment: Cynda moved to accept the City of McCall’s appointment of Cami Callan, Sherry seconded. Motion passed.
No major updates on scenic byways.
Grants: the Idaho Women’s Charitable Foundation grant for early childhood development has been submitted, should know more by spring.
Andrew continues to assist BSU with recruitment for the CIP program
Workforce Development: Andrew to reach out to the AGC regarding time frames for the construction pre-apprenticeship. COVID may be a headwind on this project.
Year end video series was a success with over 200 views in the first week, over 4800 impressions via Facebook and over 225 engagements. Comparable reach to the summit.
COVID task force is still meeting every other week and producing good regional results for communication
The creative district survey is about to go out and there is lots of energy around this project.
Broadband and housing continue to move forward, per the strategic/work plan
Business meeting metrics for Commerce are on track for the year too
We need to improve our fundraising metrics overall.
5pm Adjourn