On the agenda

1. 1Call to Order - Roll Call▶ 0:00
2. 2

   Approval of October 15, 2019 CRA Meeting Minutes

   approved

   The CRA Board approved the minutes from the October 15, 2019 meeting.

   • motion:Approve the October 15, 2019 CRA meeting minutes. (passed)

   ▶ Jump to 0:17 in the video

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   [00:00:17] Thank you. [00:00:18] Next item on the agenda is the approval of the October 15th minutes. [00:00:23] Move for approval. [00:00:26] Second. [00:00:27] All those in favor, please signify by saying aye. [00:00:30] Aye. [00:00:30] Aye. [00:00:30] Opposed, like sign. [00:00:32] Next, motion passes.

   This text was generated automatically from the meeting video. It is not a verbatim or official record. For exact wording, consult the video or the city clerk.

3. 3

   ↳You arrived here from a search for “CRA boundary / slum and blighted designation” — transcript expanded below

   Recommendation of Firm for RFP20-001 Branding, Marketing and Master Planning

   approved

   Staff recommended awarding RFP20-001 for branding, marketing, and master planning to Arnett, Muldrow & Associates, the strongest of three respondents, at a cost of just under $35,000. The CRA Board approved the recommendation, with discussion about the marketing position salary range ($35,000–$42,000), steering committee composition (board members suggested each picking members), and using local talent like JL Video and Rock the Boat Productions.

   • motion:Motion to approve recommendation to enter into a contract with Arnett, Muldrow & Associates for RFP20-001 Branding, Marketing and Master Planning at just under $35,000. (passed)

   📍Briarpatch📍Woodridge Estates🏢Arnett, Muldrow & Associates🏢Great Florida Insurance🏢JL Video🏢Kimley Horn🏢Main Street program🏢Media Garage Group🏢Rock the Boat Productions🏢Tourist Development Board👤Adam Thomas👤Allman👤Bill Phillips👤Charles Rudd👤Commissioner Moore👤Davis👤Driscoll👤Gus Bilirakis👤Jordan Lung👤Mance👤Murphy👤Oakley👤Publick👤Smallwood👤Starkey#10- and 20-year business development strategy#CRA boundary / slum and blighted designation#Community policing funds / rec center use#Marketing position recruitment ($35,000–$42,000 range)#RFP20-001

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   [00:00:34] Next, recommendation affirm for RFP 20-001. [00:00:40] Thank you, members of the Community Redevelopment Agency. [00:00:47] Charles Rudd and I have been working to identify a firm that could provide some [00:00:54] branding, marketing, and master planning assistance to the city in that regard. [00:01:01] There were three firms that responded to our request for proposal. [00:01:06] The first was Arnett, Muldrow & Associates. [00:01:10] The second was Kimley Horn, and the third was Media Garage Group. [00:01:15] And Charles, you put together a PowerPoint. [00:01:19] No, you didn't put together a PowerPoint, I'm remembering. [00:01:22] But he's prepared to share with you some detail on that so that we can go forward [00:01:29] with a recommendation to enter into a contract with one of the firms. [00:01:33] Absolutely. [00:01:34] Thank you. [00:01:35] The idea is this is the first of several phases of master planning for the downtown [00:01:40] and for US 19, because the brand and the marketing of the town is really an [00:01:46] integral part of the master plan. [00:01:47] So we wanted to find a firm or a team of firms that could take us all the way [00:01:51] through the process. [00:01:52] And so we had three respondents and the firm, we did hear from presentations verbal [00:01:58] from two of those firms that had strong planning components. [00:02:03] And then of those two, Arnett Muldrow is actually started out as a planning firm [00:02:08] that discovered they were really good at branding and marketing and have in fact [00:02:12] worked with over 500 communities across the country and are just really experts in [00:02:17] this field. [00:02:17] So they have a really strong, the strongest background in branding and [00:02:22] marketing as well as in downtown planning. [00:02:25] So we're very excited to the possibility of working with them to work with us to [00:02:30] create, to update our market analysis, provide us with some good original data, [00:02:35] and also to create a brand identity for the downtown that we can then have the [00:02:40] tools for our new marketing position to really intentionally and professionally [00:02:46] put the image of the city out that we are proud of and want to promote the city. [00:02:51] There's been a lot of conversation about it's time to do that. [00:02:54] And so this will provide us with the tools to do that. [00:02:56] And then as this wraps up, we'll come back to you with a proposal for the master [00:03:01] planning phase of that, of this process. [00:03:05] The proposed expenditure associated with this project at this point is 30, just [00:03:11] under $35,000. [00:03:14] And the first phase of the project will involve a good amount of information [00:03:20] gathering from stakeholders and others in the community. [00:03:28] And if you approve this expenditure, those forums will not be started until after [00:03:35] the first of the year, based on the fact that we're so close to the holidays now, [00:03:40] or at least I'm told we are. [00:03:46] Open up for public comment. [00:03:55] I'll just make it brief. [00:03:56] Long overdue. [00:03:57] Thank you. [00:03:58] They haven't even hit start yet. [00:04:00] You're going to have to move fast to catch them tonight. [00:04:06] In that case, seeing nobody else racing down here, we'll bring it back to the [00:04:10] CRA. [00:04:11] Move for approval. [00:04:14] Second. [00:04:15] I just have one question. [00:04:17] I understand what you're doing in this first phase. [00:04:19] At what point does the marketing position be filled? [00:04:25] The marketing person will be slid in during this process. [00:04:29] In the first period or in the second period? [00:04:31] In the first period. [00:04:32] We've already initiated some recruitment efforts in that respect. [00:04:36] Okay, because Adam Thomas at the Tourist Development Board was a big player in [00:04:43] working with the firm to market our Tourist Development Board and that whole [00:04:50] sports coast. [00:04:52] They worked hand-in-hand. [00:04:54] And then they also came back or went to Bales and the assistant, Kathy, and [00:05:01] worked with them and made it a whole team effort. [00:05:03] So I just was hoping that person would come on. [00:05:06] Yeah, that is our plan. [00:05:08] And I should have said something earlier because in respect to the fact that we're [00:05:11] delaying the public input until after the holidays are behind us, it's also giving us [00:05:15] a chance to get the right person in place for the marketing position. [00:05:21] I just want to mention that I thought that the wage for that person in getting a [00:05:27] serious professional was in the middle or maybe on the lower end. [00:05:32] The position is advertised at a range of between $35,000 and $42,000 a year without [00:05:42] benefits. [00:05:43] The position does include benefits, but that's not part of the fee structure. [00:05:51] Yeah, I'm going with that $35,000 to $42,000. [00:05:54] It's my opinion. [00:05:56] You know, when you start looking at that, you might be coming back and thinking [00:06:01] about the wage. [00:06:03] We did do some preliminary market studies to determine what others are paying for [00:06:08] similar positions. [00:06:10] So we're comfortable with it. [00:06:12] But if we're uncomfortable, I'll definitely come back. [00:06:14] Okay. [00:06:15] Thank you. [00:06:16] Second. [00:06:17] Looking forward to getting the process moving. [00:06:21] And I have some questions about the idea of the steering committee, how that gets [00:06:28] appointed. [00:06:30] It says that there should be a steering committee of 10 people. [00:06:33] The way I see it, all five of us ought to be steering. [00:06:37] But I know you want some individuals out there to meet and help to tell us who we [00:06:42] are. [00:06:43] We've had so many consulting reports identified. [00:06:45] It's our river, it's our ecotourism, you know, down the line. [00:06:50] It's embedded in all of our planning and strategy documents. [00:06:54] I'm a little concerned when I read this, that that's a sort of boilerplate [00:07:00] agreement. [00:07:00] And I know that they do a lot of these and they do it well. [00:07:03] But I'm not sure what, you know, surveys are fine and dandy too, but, you know, the [00:07:12] compliance rate of surveys, is it the new customers we're bringing? [00:07:17] I mean, part of this strategy ought to be bringing new people in, not just asking the [00:07:22] folks that live here, what they need or what they want. [00:07:27] And I'm sure that they bring that expertise. [00:07:30] So my guess is that they were kind of helping to train the steering committee and [00:07:33] us on the things that we need to be doing. [00:07:36] I'm not so sure about. [00:07:38] I don't know about that. [00:07:40] And I'm sorry, I didn't note that in their proposed contract. [00:07:46] This is in the scope of services that I'm looking at here. [00:07:49] OK, but I think it's unlikely that we would have a steering committee of 10. [00:07:53] But go ahead, Charles, you were about to respond. [00:07:56] Yes, the steering committee is just for this process of input. [00:08:00] It's a group of folks that help make sure that we're including in the focus groups. [00:08:07] And it's not for the marketing from here on out. [00:08:10] It's just during this process. [00:08:12] And it's an option too. [00:08:14] We don't have to have a steering committee. [00:08:15] But it'd be like if your question to us was, are you sure we've represented the [00:08:19] community? [00:08:20] Well, we can the steering committee helps us do that, that we've reached different [00:08:24] the arts groups and the history groups and the in the commercial property owners [00:08:28] and so forth. [00:08:29] It's just a way to make sure that we're, you know, sometimes the staff, we don't [00:08:34] know all everybody in the community. [00:08:35] So this gives us a steering committee. [00:08:38] That's like a sounding board. [00:08:39] Are we are we getting a good sample of the community? [00:08:43] And then those surveys you talked about are to sample the existing market, because [00:08:48] people say, like, oh, yeah, we have people coming from Trinity. [00:08:50] Well, we'll have data that will say, well, actually, the majority come from this zip [00:08:55] code or a large portion. [00:08:56] And that'll help. [00:08:57] That helps the merchants go, well, I can shift my marketing over to this other area [00:09:02] where it looks like we're getting hardly anybody. [00:09:03] You know, it helps. [00:09:05] It's just good data of where are they coming from now? [00:09:07] We're having we're having crowds at night. [00:09:09] It's busy down there. [00:09:10] Where are they coming from? [00:09:11] We can actually begin to track that, and it helps with our future marketing efforts. [00:09:15] Well, the credit card, I mean, the study we already did on the downtown and [00:09:19] walkability, they analyzed the data, what people are spending, where they're coming [00:09:24] from, four years ago, it may be old and maybe need to be redone. [00:09:29] But as far as the steering committee is concerned, I would like for us to be [00:09:35] involved in the visioning workshop. [00:09:37] I really don't want to have this be, or else tell us, are we each going to pick two [00:09:42] people, you know, and maybe that's good? [00:09:45] Or how do we get that diverse group? [00:09:49] I like that idea, to be honest with you. [00:09:51] Yeah. [00:09:52] Each pick a couple people. [00:09:53] Yeah. [00:09:54] That's a thought, too, you know. [00:09:57] You pick a soccer player, and I'll pick a soccer referee. [00:10:02] If we're going to do it, I'd like some input on that, the way in which you [00:10:08] pull this together. [00:10:10] The certain individuals that have made their comments and their opinions well [00:10:13] known to us, we don't need to, yeah, I'm sorry. [00:10:19] Never mind. [00:10:22] Few things. [00:10:23] Mr. [00:10:23] Driscoll, are you, I remember when Mr. [00:10:25] Publick was here, he worked for the city of New Porichy and the city of Porichy. [00:10:29] Do you work for any other municipalities currently, or just city of New Porichy? [00:10:31] Oh, just this one. [00:10:32] I am a hearing officer for St. [00:10:34] Pete and for the city of South Pasadena. [00:10:36] Just food for thought, and I don't get in with who you hire and all that. [00:10:39] I never have. [00:10:40] It's not my job to do so, but I will say that I own a franchise of an insurance [00:10:44] agency. [00:10:46] Councilman Davis is concerned with the amount we're offering for that position, [00:10:50] right? [00:10:51] We each pool our money together as 120 plus agencies now, independently owned [00:10:56] and operated. [00:10:57] We have a corporate office we pay royalties to, and we all pull together our [00:11:01] money and we, our corporate office has hired, and he's been with us for 10 [00:11:06] years now, a marketing director. [00:11:08] He runs our website, very, very effective with Google Analytics and how the [00:11:14] internet works as far as marketing our insurance agencies. [00:11:18] So he's employed by Great Florida, but we're just, he's, Great Florida [00:11:23] Insurance is his largest account, but he also has other accounts that he works [00:11:26] for to make supplementary income. [00:11:28] I would assume it would be a good idea to be open to the fact that if someone [00:11:33] applies for this position, and like you said, you're looking for talent, you're [00:11:37] not sure if 35 to 42 is going to do it, maybe not be against someone that applies [00:11:43] to this position. [00:11:43] It allots time to be able to do that, but yeah, has supplementary income from other [00:11:48] projects that he or she may be working on because that might help us recruit someone [00:11:51] that's very, very good for the job, but wants to make more than 35 or 42 a year. [00:11:56] Just food for thought. [00:11:58] I'm interested to see, very eager to see, like Ms. [00:12:03] Smallwood said, and this is very long overdue, as to how this is going to play [00:12:07] out, how it's going to work, for instance, JL Video, is that the name of the [00:12:12] company, Jordan Lung's company? [00:12:13] Did a phenomenal job, in my opinion, with the videos that he's done, especially [00:12:18] the most recent one. [00:12:20] I would hope that whoever we employ or this firm would give a local person like [00:12:26] that a shot who's already proven himself and his company's proven himself with [00:12:29] effectiveness of what they can do with the videos. [00:12:33] I like rewarding local people that are invested in our community with as much [00:12:38] work as possible, and I think that he did a phenomenal job with the video he [00:12:42] produced already, so I would hate to see someone like that just completely shut [00:12:46] out because we've hired an outside firm. [00:12:49] I personally am against that, just my opinion once again, so just something to [00:12:54] keep in mind, and this is just a lot at once. [00:12:58] Until we get going on this and see what this firm supplies to us up here, I'm [00:13:04] excited about it, but just eager to see how it's going to play out. [00:13:08] I would love to get us beyond the branding, marketing, and master planning [00:13:19] to the implementation phase, and I agree, Mr. Starkey, with your assessment. [00:13:29] JL Video's done some phenomenal videos, and for us, we've got talent in the [00:13:38] Rock the Boat Productions Group. [00:13:41] We've got a Main Street program, and I think we ought to be using all three [00:13:46] probably plus some others to... [00:13:48] I didn't mean to omit those people. [00:13:49] I'm sorry. [00:13:49] I was just concentrating on that one video as well. [00:13:53] And I'm agreeing with you, but I think we've got a lot of local talent here. [00:13:59] We get a marketing plan put together, we need to get the word out to these folks [00:14:04] that are local here and say, hey, tell us what you can do to make this thing happen. [00:14:11] So I really do want to get this done as quickly as possible so we can actually [00:14:17] get on with the marketing, marketing. [00:14:21] Any further discussion? [00:14:22] The final comment to say I am excited as well, and I always welcome a new [00:14:30] set of eyes from somewhere else. [00:14:32] I think my point is I really want to get the best value we can out of the [00:14:36] individuals who come here to help us to get moving, and they say right there, [00:14:41] a 10- and 20-year business development strategy, that's going to require us to [00:14:47] develop a 10- and 20-year development strategy as far as how we're going to [00:14:51] attract those businesses, not just by inviting them in and expecting us to [00:14:56] tease them with advertisement, but to be able to say we have to have an economic... [00:15:00] and a redevelopment plan that takes advantage of the revenue stream that we already have [00:15:05] created in the past 30 years. So, yeah, this is a big thing in the city, and I'm excited [00:15:13] and I'm going to support the motion, and can't wait to see what they can do. [00:15:18] Further discussion? Hearing none, all those in favor, please signify by saying aye. [00:15:23] Aye. Opposed, like sign. Motion passes. [00:15:27] Next is CRA communications. I've just got one thing I want to share with you. Ms. Mance [00:15:34] had received some correspondence from the county indicating concerns about the use of [00:15:41] CRA funds for the construction of the rec center, and questioning whether that was really [00:15:53] an appropriate use of community policing funds. Well, there are two things that I'd [00:15:59] like to make mention of that. First of all, this was done back before any of us were on [00:16:07] council, and they're still griping about it. And secondly, if, and in fact, none of the [00:16:16] people, I believe none of the people on the county commission were there when this was [00:16:21] originally done, yet we keep hearing this over and over again. I actually pulled up [00:16:27] the Florida statute that talks about this, and it does mention using it for community [00:16:32] policing, but then it goes on and talks about using it for recreation and other community [00:16:40] projects like that, and the rec center fits exactly in the part of the paragraph that [00:16:45] they conveniently forgot to put in the letter that they sent to Ms. Mance. We have, Ms. [00:16:52] Mance and I have a meeting on November the 18th with Chairman Oakley, and we're going [00:16:56] to point that out, that it is broader than just community policing, and there are a lot [00:17:04] of things that the CRA has done for the good of New Port Richey over the years. Did our [00:17:15] predecessors always make the right decisions in the stuff they did? You know, hindsight's [00:17:20] 20-20, but I think they were all trying to do the best they could with the information [00:17:26] that they had at the time. But we're going to attempt to get that message across, and [00:17:33] there may be some areas, as you mentioned, they're upset, somebody keeps getting them [00:17:40] upset about the fact that basically the whole city's in the CRA. There may be some parts [00:17:44] of the city that can come out, but you know, we've got a mix of places where you've got [00:17:53] 6, 7 figure homes literally across the street from duplexes that are the dregs, and it's [00:18:04] hard to cherry-pick individual properties for a CRA, and in fact, I don't believe you're [00:18:10] allowed to do that. So we're going to hopefully get some communication, and Chairman Oakley's [00:18:18] a really, really good guy, and I think he'll be open to our talking with him. [00:18:23] I'm really grateful that Commissioner Moore was up front enough with us to express specifically [00:18:28] what his concerns are, so that we have an opportunity to respond to those. I think the [00:18:34] open communication is a very positive effort, rather than just hearing things that may or [00:18:40] may not be true. [00:18:41] And I don't believe this is directly coming from the county commissioners themselves. [00:18:46] I really believe somebody has given them some bad information. [00:18:52] Mr. Murphy, anything? [00:18:53] I'm good. [00:18:54] Mr. Allman? [00:18:55] Don't tempt me. [00:18:56] Okay. [00:18:58] I won't go too deep into it. Let me ask you another concern. CRAs created after July 1st [00:19:07] of 2006 were not able to have more than 80% of their city limit boundaries CRA-eligible. [00:19:15] Are we grandfathered in with our CRA extension for that, or no? [00:19:19] Yes, because we weren't created after 2006. [00:19:23] But that's an independent provision in the statute, so I don't believe that that affects us. [00:19:29] As I said earlier, and believe me, how it works for the public, the larger your CRA [00:19:35] boundary is, the more money you get for CRA funding, right? So I'm not trying to take [00:19:39] money away from the city, but it seems like we are constantly battling with the county, [00:19:45] and when I, let me start by saying that I think it's great that you and this man are [00:19:51] meeting with Commissioner Oakley. [00:19:52] He is a good guy. [00:19:53] He's very open-minded, and I'm sure your meeting is going to be a very positive meeting. [00:19:58] But my conversations with the county commissioners that I have personally, the one thing that [00:20:03] is constantly brought up is the fact that our city limits and New Port Richey's city limits [00:20:08] both are entirely 100% designated CRA-eligible. [00:20:13] They have a huge issue with that. [00:20:15] If it's principle alone, it may be. I don't know. [00:20:18] But that, to me, is what's preventing us to work together in a more positive fashion. [00:20:28] And I think, we're talking about marketing our city, yes, I don't want to take a bunch [00:20:32] of money away that we are using effectively, and we have been using effectively since we've [00:20:36] all been up here since Ms. Mayans has been on board. [00:20:39] However, we also have to look at the bigger picture. [00:20:42] Do we want to market our city, and we're trying to market our city in the positive changes. [00:20:45] Do we want to be looked at as a slum and blighted area for the next 30 years as well? [00:20:50] I personally don't. [00:20:51] I think that there's some give and take, and I think we should look into removing the Woodridge [00:20:55] Estates neighborhood, which is a deed-restricted neighborhood that, in my eye, I own a house [00:21:00] there, does not butt up or have any of the run-down areas that you discussed, that we [00:21:07] have in our neighborhood where you and I live. [00:21:10] And Briarpatch is another example. [00:21:12] If you can't pick and choose homes to pull out, like I'm going to take out that home [00:21:16] from the river, but that's got a duplex there, so I'm going to leave that, can't pick and [00:21:19] choose, I get it. [00:21:20] But those are two areas that are deed-restricted, they're not slum and blighted, they never [00:21:24] have been, they're newer developments, and I think that's a good place to start. [00:21:28] And I think that would show our county commissioners and our partners at the county, we hear you, [00:21:33] understand where you're coming from, but if we do this, please try to look at us in a [00:21:39] more positive fashion as to what we're currently doing with our CRA funding, because we're [00:21:44] using it properly, not to say that we did not ever use it improperly in the past, however, [00:21:51] I'm just looking to get over this hurdle so we can work together in a more positive fashion [00:21:55] and it's the one thing I keep hearing, as long as you're a full city, is slum and blighted [00:22:00] eligible, they just can't get past it. [00:22:05] So I think it's something we should look into. [00:22:08] And I hope you're meeting this very well. [00:22:09] I'm confident it is, and I agree. [00:22:12] There's also an economic benefit for us. [00:22:18] The way the CRA is structured under state law, any of the increase in property values [00:22:28] inside the CRA wind up going into CRA funding and not general revenue. [00:22:35] To the extent that we start DCRAing certain neighborhoods, that means that in the future [00:22:47] the additional property values in those neighborhoods will flow through to the general revenue. [00:22:57] From our standpoint, that's probably the biggest concern. [00:23:01] Do you really want to starve the general budget by not allowing it to get any appreciation [00:23:10] in property values over time? [00:23:12] I think it's, you know, hindsight is 20-20, but had I been on the council back in the [00:23:20] day, I don't believe I would've been at all in favor of making 100% of the city a CRA. [00:23:30] It may have sounded like a good idea at the time, but in hindsight, I don't believe so. [00:23:35] Mr. Davis? [00:23:36] I just want to say that, you know, you said you used the word economics, but during that [00:23:43] 06, 09, 010, somewhere in there, there was no CRA, and so, you know, an election in 2020 [00:23:51] could change this whole situation, you know, so before we start giving away a little bit [00:23:57] of money here and there to the county, you know, I'm not ready to jump on that bandwagon [00:24:04] just yet. [00:24:05] I understand what you're doing, maybe a couple neighborhoods, but I really, you know, really [00:24:09] remember that there was no money in the CRA, and I just want to let you guys know that [00:24:15] I found out during our five-minute break that we missed Gus Bilirakis and Bill Phillips [00:24:23] dancing with the stars. [00:24:26] I hope somebody took a video. [00:24:29] Neither one of them were winners, and Gus did a Greek dance. [00:24:34] Every cloud has a silver lining. [00:24:38] On that cheerful note, is there anything else for the good of the CRA? [00:24:41] Yes, sir. [00:24:42] Just to throw in as well, this was an idea that we've been, I think I've been talking [00:24:49] about for over a year, and I think that the time is right for us to pick those few neighborhoods, [00:24:55] and just yet, we have the whole city on its back. [00:24:58] It's not going to hurt us. [00:25:01] Okay. [00:25:02] If there's no further business, I would entertain a motion to adjourn. [00:25:04] Adjourned.

   This text was generated automatically from the meeting video. It is not a verbatim or official record. For exact wording, consult the video or the city clerk.

4. 5Adjournment▶ 25:02
5. 4Communications