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MY NAME IS JEROD POTTS, AND I'M THE POLICY AND STRATEGIC INITIATIVE PRINCIPLE PLANNER FOR THE CITY OF SOUTHLAKE. IT'S MY PRIVILEGE TO INTRODUCE OUR APPLICANT TONIGHT, WHICH IS DANIEL CORTEZ, THE DIRECTOR OF THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND TOURISM DEPARTMENT HERE IN THE CITY OF SOUTHLAKE. FIRST, JUST WANT TO NOTE THAT THE MEETING IS BEING BROADCAST LIVE THROUGH THE CITY'S VIDEO-ON-DEMAND APPLICATION CITYOFSOUTHLAKE.COM/VIDEOONDEMAND.HOWEVER, IF YOU WISH TO PARTICIPATE IN THE MEETING, YOU'LL NEED TO ACCESS VIA WEBEX.
AND THERE'S INFORMATION CITYOFSOUTHLAKE.COM/AGENDACENTER, IF YOU'D LIKE TO GET THAT LINK.
SO IF YOU WANT TO SPEAK THIS EVENING, IF YOU'RE ON THE CALL AND ON THE WEBEX AND YOU'D LIKE TO SPEAK THIS EVENING, YOU'RE WELCOME TO SEND THE STAFF A CHAT IN THE IN THE CHAT BOX THERE. AND WE'LL TAKE NOTE OF THAT.
AND AFTER THE APPLICANT PRESENTATION, WE'LL MAKE SURE TO GIVE YOU SOME NOTICE THAT YOU'RE KIND OF IN THE QUEUE TO ASK YOUR QUESTION TO THE APPLICANT.
ON THE SCREEN HERE JUST TO CALL REFERENCE TO THE SURVEY.
WE WOULD LOVE TO HEAR ABOUT YOUR EXPERIENCE WITH SPIN, THE SURVEY LINK THERE IS SHOWN THE BIT.LY LINK SO.
PLEASE FEEL FREE TO ACCESS THAT AND PROVIDE YOUR COMMENTS ON THE MEETING.
SO JUST TO NOTE, MOST OF THE TIME OUR ITEMS THAT ARE PRESENTED, IT'S BEEN OUR DEVELOPMENT RELATED. HOWEVER, WE DO ON OCCASION HAVE CITY DRIVEN ITEMS SUCH AS WHAT WE'LL BE SEEING THIS EVENING. AND SO WITHOUT FURTHER ADO, DANIEL CORTEZ WILL BE, AS MENTIONED, PROVIDING TONIGHT'S PRESENTATION SO THE CITY OF SOUTHLAKE IS PROPOSING AN ADDENDUM TO THE
[2. SPIN2020-22 - The City of Southlake is proposing an addendum to the existing Southlake 2035 Economic Development Master Plan, adding recommendations to the existing plan, many of which focus on economic recovery.]
SOUTHLAKE 2035 ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT MASTER PLAN.ADDING RECOMMENDATIONS TO THE EXISTING PLAN, MANY OF WHICH FOCUS ON ECONOMIC RECOVERY.
SO WITH THAT, I WILL TURN OVER THE PRESENTATION TO MR. CORTEZ AND DANIEL HAVE AT IT.
GREAT. SO THANK YOU, EVERYONE.
THAT MAY BE VIEWING RIGHT NOW.
AND FOR THOSE THAT WILL BE LIKELY VIEWING THIS IN THE FUTURE AS WELL, AS JEROD SAID, I'M THE DIRECTOR OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND TOURISM.
AND ONE OF THE THINGS THAT HAS KIND OF COME TO FRUITION, OF COURSE, TO THE PANDEMIC THAT WE'VE ALL BEEN LIVING THROUGH, IS THE ECONOMIC RAMIFICATIONS THAT HAVE COME ALONG WITH THE PANDEMIC AND THE WAY THAT THEY'VE IMPACTED OUR BUSINESS COMMUNITY AND ITS VERY SPECIFIC INDUSTRIES THROUGHOUT HERE IN SOUTHLAKE.
SO WE WANT TO CONCENTRATE AND FOCUS ON SOME OF OUR RECOVERY EFFORTS THROUGH THAT.
SO WITH THAT, I'M GOING TO GO AHEAD AND SHARE A PRESENTATION WITH YOU ALL.
TO GIVE YOU ALL AN IDEA OF WHAT THE CITY OF SOUTHLAKE IS EVALUATING.
SO WITH THAT, LIKE I SAID, THANK YOU, EVERYONE, FOR BEING HERE WATCHING THIS VIDEO.
AS I MENTIONED EARLIER, WE ARE LOOKING AT A UNCERTAIN IS PROBABLY THE BEST WAY TO PUT IT ECONOMY DURING COVID 19.
OF COURSE, REGARDLESS OF WHETHER THERE MAY BE A VACCINE ANYWHERE HERE IN THE NEAR FUTURE OR EVEN INTO 2021.
WE STILL HAVE TO EVALUATE AND LOOK AT THE IMPACTS THAT COVID 19 WILL ULTIMATELY HAVE THROUGH 2021 AND TWENTY TWENTY TWO ON OUR LOCAL ECONOMY.
I PROVIDED SOME DATA POINTS JUST SO THAT THE MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC CAN TAKE A LOOK AT HOW THIS IS ULTIMATELY IMPACTED SOUTHLAKE HERE LOCALLY WITH JUST TWO IMMEDIATE DATA POINTS.
ONE OF THEM BEING UNEMPLOYMENT AND OF COURSE, THE OTHER ONE BEING SALES TAX.
OF COURSE, IT'S FAIRLY EVIDENT TO SEE WE WERE PRETTY MUCH CHUGGING ALONG THERE FROM FEBRUARY 2020 OF THIS YEAR AND PRIOR.
THE CITY OF SOUTHLAKE, ALONG WITH THE STATE IN THE COUNTRY IN GENERAL, MAINTAINED A GENERAL UNEMPLOYMENT RATE THAT WAS ABOUT FIVE AND A HALF PERCENT OR LOWER.
AND IT WAS PRETTY STEADY LIKE THAT FOR THE LAST 12 MONTHS PRIOR TO FEBRUARY 2020.
BUT AS YOU'LL NOTICE, WHEN A LOT OF THE LOCAL MANDATES AND STATE MANDATES GOT PUT IN PLACE FROM MARCH INTO APRIL, YOU'LL SEE THAT THE UNEMPLOYMENT, OF COURSE, SKYROCKETED.
AND WE'RE DEFINITELY NOT INTO PRE PANDEMIC LEVELS IN TERMS OF UNEMPLOYMENT.
BUT OF COURSE, HERE IN SOUTHLAKE, ONE OF THE KEY THINGS HERE WHEN THINKING ABOUT EVEN EMPLOYMENT HERE LOCALLY, IS THAT THE FOLKS THAT THAT WORK HERE IN SOUTHLAKE ALSO PROVIDE
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AN ECONOMIC BENEFIT HERE TO THE COMMUNITY, OF COURSE, AND THAT COMES IN THE FORM OF SHOPPING AND PURCHASING SERVICES.AS THEY COME IN HERE, THEY WORK HERE AND THEN MAYBE THEY GOT OFF WORK AND THEY STOPPED BY A GROCERY STORE OR MAYBE THEY HAVE AN ACCOUNTANT HERE IN TOWN.
SO THERE'S A LOT OF SECONDARY AND TERTIARY EFFECTS FROM FOLKS THAT COME IN HERE AND WORK IN SOUTHLAKE. SO OBVIOUSLY WITH A LOT OF FOLKS TELECOMMUTING THESE DAYS, THAT DOES IMPACT OUR LOCAL BUSINESS COMMUNITY.
THE OTHER ONE THAT I WANTED TO SHOW YOU IS THE SALES TAX, WHICH IS JUST TO PUT IT PLAINLY, IT'S A LITTLE BIT ALL OVER THE PLACE.
OF COURSE, WE'RE SEEING NUMBERS, GENERALLY SPEAKING, THAT ARE LOWER THAN WHAT WE SAW IN OUR FISCAL YEAR 2019, WHICH STARTS ON OCTOBER ONE, OUR FISCAL YEARS DO.
AND SO AS WE'VE PRETTY MUCH ROUNDED OUT OUR FISCAL YEAR FOR TWENTY TWENTY, WHICH ENDED THIS LAST SEPTEMBER, AND WE DON'T HAVE THE FINAL NUMBERS YET FOR SEPTEMBER, YOU CAN SEE THAT THAT LARGELY SINCE THE PANDEMIC STRUCK IN MARCH, THERE'S ONLY REALLY BEEN ONE MONTH THAT WE'VE EXCEEDED OUR PREVIOUS YEAR NUMBERS.
AND THAT WAS IN JUNE, WHICH IS LIKELY ATTRIBUTED TO SOME OF THE PENT UP DEMAND FROM MARCH, APRIL AND MAY AS FOLKS WERE REALLY HUNKERING DOWN DURING THOSE MONTHS.
SO THAT KIND OF GETS US INTO WHY, WHY, WHY ARE WE DOING THIS? WE HAVE A MASTER PLAN ALREADY FOR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT.
THAT'S OUR SOUTHLAKE 2035 ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT MASTER PLAN.
AND OF COURSE, THIS PLAN WAS DEVELOPED AND APPROVED BACK IN 2016 AND THE PLAN IS STILL RELEVANT AND HELPS GUIDE A LOT OF OUR WORK THAT THE CITY DOES AS IT PERTAINS TO ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT. SOME OF THE LARGE FOCUS AREAS OF THAT PLAN INCLUDED IMPROVING EXISTING SERVICES THAT WE HAVE ESTABLISHES SOME OF OUR TARGET INDUSTRIES, REALLY FOCUSING IN ON SOME OF OUR BUSINESS RETENTION AND EXPANSION ACTIVITIES, SUCH AS BUSINESS [INAUDIBLE] ACTIVITIES THAT WE HAVE A LOT OF ONE ON ONE THAT I MYSELF WOULD HAVE OUT THERE WITH THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY. IT ALSO REQUIRED US TO LOOK AT OUR ECONOMIC INCENTIVES AND ESTABLISH A WELL-FORMED POLICY THAT'S COMMUNICATED OUT TO FOLKS THAT MIGHT BE LOOKING TO LOCATE HERE IN SOUTHLAKE.
TD AMERITRADE BEING ONE OF THOSE EXAMPLES.
IT ALSO REQUIRED US TO EVALUATE WHAT OUR MARKET WAS AT THAT POINT IN TIME.
EVALUATING OUR CURRENT MARKET REALLY HELPS US GUIDE SOME OF OUR WORK IN TERMS OF WHAT TYPE OF COMMUNITY AND ECONOMIC SUSTAINABILITY LOOKS LIKE FOR SOUTHLAKE.
ALSO, THE IMPLEMENTATION OF CUSTOMER FOCUSED SERVICES, SUCH AS THE DEVELOPMENT OF A NEW WEBSITE, WHICH WE'RE CURRENTLY UNDERGOING.
AND OF COURSE, LAST BUT DEFINITELY NOT LEAST, THE ENGAGING WITH CITIZENS IN THE PUBLIC IN TERMS OF WHAT THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY SHOULD LOOK LIKE MOVING FORWARD.
OF COURSE, AS MANY OF YOU THAT ARE WATCHING RIGHT NOW, IT'S ALWAYS A CHALLENGE TO TRY TO MANAGE DEVELOPMENT.
BUT WE DO HAVE SOME CAPABILITY THERE IN ESTABLISHING SOME GOOD ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT STRATEGIES IN ORDER TO CONCENTRATE OR ENSURE THAT THE COMMUNITY HAS LONG TERM ECONOMIC SUSTAINABILITY.
AND WHEN WE DO HAVE SUCH EMERGENCIES SUCH AS THIS PANDEMIC, WE'RE ABLE TO COME OUT OF IT STRONGER THAN WE WERE GOING INTO IT.
SO AS WE LOOKED AT, YOU KNOW, AS WE'VE BEEN GOING THROUGH THIS PANDEMIC, OUR CITY COUNCIL AND OUR ECONOMIC RECOVERY TASK FORCE AND OUR COMMUNITY ENHANCEMENT DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION HAVE ALL ACKNOWLEDGED THAT WHILE WE HAVE A VERY GOOD AND EFFECTIVE PLAN THAT WE'RE IMPLEMENTING, IT'S BECOME PRETTY EVIDENT THAT WE REALLY NEED TO CONCENTRATE AND LOOK AT SOME SHORT TERM AND EVEN SOME LONG TERM ECONOMIC SUSTAINABILITY INITIATIVES.
AND SO WE THOUGHT THAT THE BEST APPROACH TO ADDRESS SOME OF OUR RECOVERY EFFORTS IS TO DEVELOP AN ADDENDUM.
SO HISTORICALLY, IF ANY OF YOU ARE FAMILIAR WITH SOME OF OUR OTHER MASTER PLANS THERE, THERE ARE LARGER DOCUMENTS THAT CONTAIN A LOT OF INFORMATION AND SUPPORT FOR SOME OF THE INITIATIVES THAT ARE LOCATED IN [INAUDIBLE].
THIS PLAN HERE IN ITSELF FOR THIS ADDENDUM WILL BE A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT.
THE ADDENDUM WILL REALLY BE FOCUSED IN ON PROVIDING RECOMMENDATIONS THAT HELP SUPPORT SOME OF THESE FOCUS AREAS THAT YOU SEE HERE ON OUR RIGHT.
AS I MENTIONED EARLIER, THE FOCUS AND CONCENTRATION NEEDS TO BE ON ECONOMIC RECOVERY.
SO AS EVEN AS WE'RE SEEING SALES TAXES SLOWLY CLIMB BACK UP OR EVEN HOTEL OCCUPANCY SLOWLY CRAWL BACK UP, WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE SUPPORTING A LOT OF OUR LOCAL
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INDUSTRIES THAT WE HAVE HERE IN TOWN.AND AS I MENTIONED EARLIER, A LOT OF THOSE FOLKS THAT COME IN HERE AND WORK HERE, HELP SUPPORT A LOT OF OUR LOCAL BUSINESSES.
SO WE WANT TO CONTINUE TO HAVE THAT.
AND RIGHT NOW IN THE WORLD OF TELECOMMUTING THAT WE LIVE IN AND FOLKS KIND OF HUNKERING DOWN STILL AND NOT TRAVELING AS MUCH, WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE PROVIDE AS MUCH SUPPORT. SO HAVING THE ABILITY FOR US TO ASSESS SOME OF THOSE BUSINESS IMPACTS, EVEN POST PANDEMIC, WILL BECOME MORE CRITICAL.
WE WANT TO BE ABLE TO PROVIDE, OF COURSE, MORE DIRECT SUPPORT TO SOME OF OUR COMMERCIAL SHOPPING CENTERS SOUTHLAKE TOWN SQUARE BEING NO EXCEPTION TO THAT.
OF COURSE, WE KNOW THAT THE REACH THAT SOUTHLAKE TOWN SQUARE HAS ON OUR LOCAL ECONOMY AND IN THROUGH THE REGION IS VERY IMPORTANT.
SO WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE SUPPORTING SOME OF OUR CENTERS TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY CONTINUE BEING SUCCESSFUL PLACES TO DO BUSINESS AND FOR VISITORS TO COME AND ENJOY.
ONE AREA THAT'S, OF COURSE, A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT BUT AS WE'LL KIND OF NAVIGATE THIS NEW ENVIRONMENT PARTICULARLY AS A LOT OF BUSINESSES MOVE TO A MORE DIGITAL PLATFORM, IS REALLY LOOKING AT OUR WORKFORCE TRAINING AND SUPPORT FOR BUSINESSES.
WE KNOW AS A LOT OF, YOU KNOW, LARGER BUSINESSES LOOK AT LOCATING HERE IN SOUTHLAKE.
WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE A LOCAL WORKFORCE THAT IS READY FOR THEM TO COME IN SO THAT THE FOLKS THAT NOT JUST LIVE IN SOUTHLAKE, BUT ALSO MAYBE EVEN IN THE SURROUNDING AREAS ARE WELL EDUCATED AND HAVE THE TECHNICAL SKILLS AND REQUIREMENTS TO BE ABLE TO FULFILL THOSE BUSINESSES NEEDS.
WE ALSO WANT TO REEVALUATE SOME OF OUR TARGET INDUSTRIES.
AS I MENTIONED BEFORE, OUR LAST MASTER PLAN WAS ADOPTED IN 2016.
AND SO WHILE IT'S NOT OUT OF DATE BY ANY MEANS AND IT IS STILL VERY RELEVANT.
WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE KEEPING UP TO DATE, MAKING SURE THAT WE HAVE THE RIGHT TYPE OF INDUSTRIES HERE IN SOUTHLAKE AS WE MOVE FORWARD.
WE ALSO WANT TO EVALUATE SOME OF THE CITY REGULATIONS, OF COURSE, AS SOME OF YOU MAY KNOW, THAT ARE WATCHING THE CITY LOOSENED TEMPORARILY SOME OF THE RESTRICTIONS ON SIGNAGE REQUIREMENTS. AND SO THERE MAY BE A SITUATION WITH SOME OF THE LOOSENING OF SOME OF THE REGULATIONS THAT WE HAVE THAT MAY BE PERTINENT OR WE MAY HAVE THE ABILITY TO MOVE FORWARD WITH AND KEEPING IT MORE ON A PERMANENT BASIS.
WE ALSO WANT TO ENHANCE OUR COMMUNICATION AND MARKETING EFFORTS BECAUSE AS SO MANY FOLKS NOW ARE MOVING TO MORE DIGITAL PLATFORM, WHEREAS WE MAY HAVE THOUGHT PREVIOUSLY TO THE PANDEMIC THAT WE WERE ALREADY IN THE DIGITAL AGE, THE PANDEMIC HAS REALLY ACCELERATED THAT FOR EVERYONE.
IT'S REALLY BECOME ONE OF THOSE THINGS.
AND JUST TO GIVE YOU AN EXAMPLE, OF COURSE, MANY OF YOU PROBABLY HAVE BEEN TO A RESTAURANT AND NOTICED THAT THERE'S NO MENU TO BE FOUND.
RIGHT. SO WE'RE USING QR CODES THAT MANY OF US THAT PROBABLY THOUGHT, YOU KNOW, IT'S A LITTLE BIT OLDER TECHNOLOGY.
IT'S BEEN AROUND FOR A LITTLE BIT.
BUT NOW IT'S MADE A STRONG COMEBACK.
THAT'S JUST PROBABLY A VERY ROUGH EXAMPLE OF MAKING SURE THAT WE'RE ENHANCING OUR COMMUNICATION AND MARKETING EFFORTS AND MAKING SURE WE'RE USING SOME OF THE OLD TOOLS, WHICH MAY BECOME NEW AGAIN.
SO I WON'T GO OVER EACH OF THESE CATEGORIES AND I'LL LET WHOEVER'S WATCHING THIS VIDEO KIND OF DIVE INTO IT, BUT WE WANTED TO MAKE SURE AS WE DEVELOP THESE NEW RECOMMENDATIONS WITHIN THIS ADDENDUM THAT WE HAVE STRATEGIC GOALS IN MIND.
WE WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT, OF COURSE, WE GROW OUR ECONOMY BACK.
WE ELEVATE THE SOUTHLAKE BRAND BECAUSE THE SOUTHLAKE IN ITSELF, THAT NAME THERE IS A REPUTATION THAT GOES ALONG WITH IT.
AND WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE RECOGNIZED AS A VIBRANT COMMUNITY AND A PLACE WHERE IT'S GOOD TO DO BUSINESS.
WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE SUPPORTING OUR BUSINESSES.
WE WANT TO MAKE SURE WE'RE COLLABORATING WITH OTHER ORGANIZATIONS SUCH AS THE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE. AND WE WANT TO, OF COURSE, PROMOTE TOURISM, WHICH OUR HOTELS RELIES SO MUCH ON, TO BRING FOLKS HERE INTO TOWN AND SHOP AND EAT.
BUT AT THE END OF THE DAY, OF COURSE, WE WANT TO MAKE SURE WE'RE IMPROVING OUR LOCAL ECONOMIC HEALTH. WE HAVE METRICS IN PLACE THAT WE VIEW AT FROM A MONTHLY, QUARTERLY TO ANNUAL BASIS TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE ON THE RIGHT ROAD TO RECOVERY.
SO A LOT OF THESE INITIATIVES WILL KIND OF BE LOOKED AT FROM THE LENS OF ARE THEY BEING ABLE TO GET SOUTHLAKE IN A GOOD ECONOMIC POSITION.
AND ARE WE GETTING BACK TO THOSE SAME NUMBERS THAT WE WERE AT BEFORE? AND MAYBE NOT.
MAYBE IT DOES LOOK A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT AS WE MOVE FORWARD.
SO ONE OF THE FIRST CATEGORIES, WHICH, OF COURSE, WILL LIKELY LOOK VERY FAMILIAR IF YOU'RE FAMILIAR WITH OUR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT MASTERPLAN, BUT IT'S OUR SOUTHLAKE MARKET.
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WE WANT TO FOCUS ON BUSINESS ATTRACTION HERE.WE WANT TO IDENTIFY CENTERS AND BUSINESSES AND INDUSTRIES THAT HAVE BEEN MOST IMPACTED.
SO WE HAVE RECOMMENDATIONS WITHIN THE ADDENDUM TO, AS I MENTIONED EARLIER, THE HELP CENTERS IDENTIFY LEASE SPACES THAT ARE VACANT AND HELP SUPPORT THEM AND HELP HOPEFULLY GET THEM TENANTS TO LOCATE WITHIN THEIR CENTERS.
AS I MENTIONED EARLIER, OF COURSE, WE WANT TO IDENTIFY WORKFORCE NEEDS AND SUPPORT THE WORKFORCE AND TRAINING AND EDUCATIONAL NEEDS OF OUR LOCAL BUSINESSES.
SO WE HAVE RECOMMENDATIONS TO ADDRESS THAT.
OF COURSE, WE WANT TO PARTNER WITH BUSINESSES TO PROVIDE ENTREPRENEURIAL EDUCATION.
IF MANY OF YOU RECALL THE GREAT RECESSION FROM THE LATE 2000S, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT REALLY CAME TO FRUITION WITH SEVERAL BUSINESSES CLOSING DOWN IS ENTREPRENEURSHIP JUST REALLY SKYROCKETED DURING THAT TIME.
AND WE HAVE A LOT OF NEW BRANDS AND NEW BUSINESSES THAT ACTUALLY WERE BORN DURING THIS TIME. SO WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE FOSTERING KIND OF THAT SAME ENVIRONMENT HERE LOCALLY. WE ALSO WANT TO REEVALUATE AND UNDERSTAND OUR MARKET MUCH BETTER IN THE CURRENT PANDEMIC AND EVEN POST PANDEMIC SO THAT WE CAN BETTER ASSESS WHAT OUR TARGET INDUSTRY SHOULD BE. THE NEXT AREA WE'LL LOOK AT IS THE INVESTMENT OF PUBLIC FUNDS, AND SO THAT, OF COURSE, HAS TO DO WITH THE CITY USING ITS OWN RESOURCES TO HELP SUPPORT AND SUSTAIN A LOT OF OUR LOCAL BUSINESS COMMUNITY IN TERMS OF SOME OF THE ONES THAT HAVE BEEN MOST IMPACTED. SO, OF COURSE, THE SMALL BUSINESS GRANT PROGRAM AND HOTEL MARKETING GRANTS IS ONE THING THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT AND WE'RE ACTUALLY IN THE PROCESS OF EVALUATING RIGHT NOW. WE ALSO WANT TO IDENTIFY LOCAL ORDINANCES FOR SHORT TERM RELIEF AND LONG TERM MODIFICATION AS WELL.
AS I MENTIONED EARLIER, THERE MAY BE SITUATIONS WHERE WE LOOSEN CERTAIN REGULATIONS THAT MAY BE ABLE TO WORK OUT AND THEN ULTIMATELY STRENGTHEN OUR BUSINESSES IN THE LONG TERM.
SO WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT ALL OPTIONS THAT WE HAVE.
WE ALSO WANT TO BE ABLE TO TO MAKE SURE THAT WE EFFECTIVELY PROVIDE INFORMATION REGARDING OUR FEDERAL, STATE AND COUNTY BUSINESS PROGRAMS THAT ARE OUT THERE.
OF COURSE, THE SBA AND THE SMALL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT CENTER PROVIDE RESOURCES FOR A LOT OF OUR LOCAL BUSINESSES, AND WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY'RE GETTING THAT ASSISTANCE AS WELL THAT WE HAVE FROM WORKING WITH THEM.
AND WE ALSO WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE ENHANCED PERMITTING SERVICES.
SO EVEN THOUGH ONE OF THE KEY THINGS OF LOCAL BUSINESS COMMUNITY AS NEW BUSINESSES COMING INTO TOWN IS THAT OBVIOUSLY MANY OF THEM WILL GO THROUGH A PERMITTING PROCESS.
SO WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE PROVIDING SERVICES THAT ARE QUICK, EASY AND EFFICIENT FOR THEM TO BE ABLE TO OBTAIN THEIR PERMITS EFFICIENTLY AND EFFECTIVELY.
OUR NEXT SESSION WILL FOCUS ON BUSINESS RETENTION AND EXPANSION.
WE WANT TO LEVERAGE THE BUSINESS EXPERTISE THAT WE HAVE HERE LOCALLY IN SOUTHLAKE.
SO, FOR EXAMPLE, OUR ECONOMIC RECOVERY TASK FORCE AND OUR COMMUNITY ENHANCEMENT DEVELOPMENT CORPORATIONS.
A LOT OF THOSE FOLKS ARE INDUSTRY EXPERTS IN CERTAIN BUSINESS INDUSTRIES.
AND SO WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT THESE INITIATIVES THAT NOT ONLY WE'RE PRESENTING HERE IN THIS ADDENDUM, BUT ANY FUTURE INITIATIVE AND FEEDBACK THAT THEY CAN HAVE TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE PROVIDING THE BEST INITIATIVES POSSIBLE, THAT WE'RE VETTING IT THROUGH THEM TO MAKE SURE THAT IT FITS WITH WHAT THE COMMUNITY NEEDS AND ULTIMATELY WANTS.
WE ALSO WANT TO IDENTIFY AND PROVIDE ENHANCED ONLINE SERVICES FOR BUSINESSES.
OF COURSE, OUR BUSINESS RESOURCE CENTER AND DATA ANALYSIS ARE TWO EXAMPLES OF THAT, BEING ABLE TO PROVIDE MAYBE SERVICES THAT BUSINESSES WOULD TYPICALLY HAVE TO PAY FOR.
AND JUST TO GIVE YOU AN IDEA OF THAT IS MAYBE TRAFFIC COUNTS.
WE CAN BETTER SERVE A LOT OF OUR POTENTIAL BUSINESS CLIENTS IN PROVIDING THAT FOR THEM.
ALSO, WE WANT TO BE ABLE TO SURVEY BUSINESSES THAT DURING AND POST THE PANDEMIC ENVIRONMENT. SO RIGHT NOW, CURRENTLY, OF COURSE, WE ARE ACTUALLY IMPLEMENTING A CURRENT SURVEY RIGHT NOW WITH BUSINESSES.
SO WE GET A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF THE PAIN POINTS THAT BUSINESSES ARE HAVING.
AND ONCE WE GET OUT OF THE PANDEMIC, OF COURSE, WE WANT TO SURVEY THOSE BUSINESSES AGAIN TO MAKE SURE SO THAT WE CAN SEE WHERE THEY'RE AT RIGHT NOW DURING THE PANDEMIC AND SEE IF SOME OF OUR EFFORTS THROUGH THE ADOPTION OF THIS ADDENDUM AND SOME OF OUR INITIATIVES HAVE REALLY HELPED THEM KIND OF ON THE ROAD TO RECOVERY.
AND OF COURSE, WE WANT TO, OF COURSE, PROVIDE ENGAGEMENT OPPORTUNITIES FOR OUR BUSINESSES. ONE OF THE THINGS THAT'S BECOME VERY EVIDENT RIGHT AWAY IS, A LOT OF BUSINESS FOLKS OUT THERE THAT MAY HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO MAYBE ENGAGE WITH THE LOCAL BUSINESS
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COMMUNITY OR THE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE HAVE HAD THE OPPORTUNITY BECAUSE THEY HAVEN'T HAD TO LEAVE THEIR PLACE OF BUSINESS.SO PROVIDING OPPORTUNITIES FOR THEM TO BE ABLE TO ENGAGE WITH OTHER BUSINESSES IN THE AREA WOULD BE VERY HELPFUL FOR THEM.
AND THE LAST SECTION, AS YOU'LL SEE HERE, IS THE MAKING SURE THAT WE'RE COMMUNICATING MARKETING AND WE HAVE GOOD PR FOR BUSINESS COMMUNITY HERE IN SOUTHLAKE.
SO ENSURING THAT WE IMPLEMENT THE STRATEGIC MARKETING AND THE COMMUNICATION PLAN WILL BE VERY CRITICAL IN MAKING SURE THAT WE HAVE KEY MESSAGES THAT WE'RE TRYING TO GET OUT THERE IN TERMS OF SOUTHLAKE BEING JUST A GREAT PLACE TO NOT JUST VISIT, BUT TO DO BUSINESS AS WELL. WE WANT TO MAKE SURE WE HAVE REGULARLY SCHEDULED PUBLICATIONS THAT COME OUT THAT THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY COULD FIND VALUABLE IN TERMS OF A NEWSLETTER, NEW BUSINESS, OR EVEN SHOWCASING CERTAIN PROPERTIES THAT WE HAVE HERE IN SOUTHLAKE.
WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE A GOOD VIDEO LIBRARY THAT EMPHASIZES SOUTHLAKE AS A LOCATION.
AS I MENTIONED EARLIER, NOT JUST TO VISIT, BUT ALSO FOR BUSINESSES TO LOCATE HERE.
WHENEVER WE HAVE LARGE CORPORATE PARTNERS, SUCH AS THE TD AMERITRADE, SABRE, VERIZON, THOSE FOLKS THAT BRING IN A LOT OF PEOPLE TO WORK INTO SOUTHLAKE REALLY HELPS THE LOCAL COMMUNITY AND A LOT OF THE OTHER BUSINESSES IN TERMS OF OUR RESTAURANTS AND RETAIL SECTORS REALLY THRIVE WHEN THEY HAVE A LOT OF FOLKS HERE.
AND OF COURSE, AS IT PERTAINS TO OUR RECOVERY EFFORTS, WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE IMPLEMENT OR FOCUS IN ON A NOW OPEN CAMPAIGN, NOT JUST FROM FROM A REGIONAL PERSPECTIVE, BUT ALSO IN NATIONAL, INTERNATIONAL.
AS MANY OF YOU KNOW, THERE ARE DIFFERENCES FROM STATE TO STATE AND EVEN REGION TO REGION IN TERMS OF HOW THE PANDEMIC IS BEING HANDLED.
AND BEING THAT WE'RE NOT NECESSARILY GOING TO BE OUT OF THE WOODS YET WITH THIS PANDEMIC IN THE NEAR FUTURE, WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT THE FOLKS THAT ARE POTENTIALLY LOOKING AT EITHER VISITING OR LOCATING A BUSINESS HERE CLEARLY UNDERSTAND WHAT SOME OF THE REQUIREMENTS ARE TO BE ABLE TO TO VISIT TO PATRON AND TO CONDUCT BUSINESS HERE IN SOUTHLAKE. SO WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE INSPIRING TRAVEL AND INSPIRING BUSINESS TO OCCUR AND LETTING THEM KNOW THAT WE'RE DOING IT IN THE SAFEST WAY POSSIBLE.
SO AS WE LOOK AT THE TIMELINE HERE, WHEN WE HOPE TO ADOPT THIS MASTER PLAN, WE TOOK THIS A ROUGH DRAFT OF THE PLAN AND THIS SAME PRESENTATION TO OUR COMMUNITY ENHANCEMENT DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION JUST LAST MONTH.
WE'RE HERE TODAY, IN OCTOBER, THIS MONTH TO HOLD THIS SPIN MEETING AND RECEIVE ANY FEEDBACK FROM THE COMMUNITY ON IT.
IF THERE'S ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS, OF COURSE, AT THE END ON THE LAST SLIDE, THERE'LL BE A WAY TO BE ABLE TO REACH OUT TO US.
AND OF COURSE, MANY OF YOU BUSINESS FOLKS, IF YOU HAPPEN TO WATCH THIS, YOU KNOW MY PHONE NUMBER SO YOU CAN JUST FEEL FREE TO REACH OUT.
BUT WE EXPECT IN THE NEXT MONTH TO TAKE THIS BACK TO OUR COMMUNITY ENHANCEMENT DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION AND OUR PLANNING AND ZONING COMMISSION FOR CONSIDERATION TO MAKE SURE THAT WE MOVE QUICKLY ON SOME OF THESE RECOVERY EFFORTS.
AND LASTLY, OF COURSE, CITY COUNCIL WILL TAKE A LOOK AT THIS PLAN AND THESE RECOMMENDATIONS ON DECEMBER 1ST MEETING AND CONSIDER APPROVAL OF IT.
SO WITH THAT, AS I MENTIONED EARLIER, IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, YOU CAN REACH OUT TO ME OR YOU CAN EMAIL ME HERE AT THE EMAIL ADDRESS SHOWN HERE ON YOUR SCREEN AND EITHER MYSELF OR SOMEONE ON STAFF WILL BE ABLE TO REACH OUT TO YOU ALL.
SO WITH THAT, I WILL GO AHEAD AND STOP SHARING THE SCREEN.
AND IF THERE'S ANY QUESTIONS, I AM MORE THAN HAPPY TO ANSWER THEM.
JAROD, I EARLIER, THEY CAN, OF COURSE, EMAIL ME AS WELL.
THERE ARE NO INDIVIDUALS ON THE CALL THAT HAD ANY QUESTIONS DURING THE BROADCAST, AND SO THEY CAN CERTAINLY GET IN TOUCH WITH YOU AS THEY HAVE THEIR QUESTIONS.
SO IT LOOKS LIKE DANIEL YOU'RE OFF FOR THE EVENING.
GREAT. SO THANKS AGAIN FOR PRESENTING.
AND IF I COULD JUST NOTE, JUST IN CLOSING, YOU KNOW, AS I MENTIONED EARLIER, THIS IS AN ADDENDUM REALLY THAT HAS RECOMMENDATIONS FOR US, FOR MY STAFF AND THE CITY TO KIND OF MOVE FORWARD WITH RECOVERY EFFORTS.
AND SO I'D ENCOURAGE ANYONE THAT MAY BE WATCHING THIS NOW OR IN THE FUTURE TO REALLY TAKE
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A LOOK AND DIVE INTO IT AND TALK TO ME IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT IT.ULTIMATELY, THERE'S A LOT OF BENEFITS TO HAVING A GOOD, HEALTHY, SUSTAINABLE LOCAL ECONOMIC ENVIRONMENT.
OUR CITY COUNCIL HAS BEEN ABLE TO LOWER, ULTIMATELY THE PROPERTY TAX RATE BY HAVING A GOOD LOCAL ECONOMIC ENVIRONMENT.
SO WE WANT TO CONTINUE TO BE ABLE TO DO THAT.
BUT IN ORDER TO DO THAT, WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE TAKING THE RIGHT STEPS IN ORDER TO MAKE THAT HAPPEN. AND SO FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT IS ONE THING AND MAKING SURE THAT THE CITY IS RUNNING SMOOTHLY AND EFFICIENTLY IS THE OTHER.
BUT THE THIRD LEG TO ALL OF THIS IS, OF COURSE, OUR ECONOMIC ENVIRONMENT, WHICH WE'RE NOT IMMUNE TO UNFORTUNATELY.
THERE ARE EXTERNAL FACTORS THAT SOMETIMES IMPACT IT.
BUT I THINK THE RESILIENCY OF THE COMMUNITY, EVEN DURING THE PANDEMIC AND EVEN UNTIL NOW, THINGS COULD BE A LOT WORSE.
BUT THEY'RE REALLY DOING A LOT BETTER THAN I THINK MANY OF US HAD ANTICIPATED.
SO WITH THAT, AS I SAID BEFORE, PLEASE REACH OUT TO ME.
I'M MORE THAN HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS.
SO WITH THAT, I'LL GO AHEAD AND PASS IT ONTO YOU JEROD.
ALL RIGHT. THANKS AGAIN, DANIEL.
AND THE DIRECTOR OF OUR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT TOURISM DEPARTMENT, THANK YOU FOR YOUR PRESENTATION. AND THEN FOR THOSE WHO ARE WATCHING CURRENTLY OR MAY BE WATCHING AT A LATER DATE DUE TO THE MEETING BEING RECORDED AND ON OUR WEBSITE I SHARE THIS SURVEY LINK AGAIN HERE ON THE SCREEN, WHICH YOU CAN TAKE A LOOK AND ACCESS THAT.
IF YOU'D LIKE TO PROVIDE YOUR FEEDBACK ON THE SPIN TOWN HALL FORUM, JUST ANY FEEDBACK IS IS MUCH APPRECIATED, ESPECIALLY RIGHT NOW AS WE'RE IN KIND OF AN INTERESTING SEASON OF VIRTUAL MEETINGS IN THIS SPIN CONTEXT.
AS FAR AS NEXT STEPS, A SPIN MEETING REPORT WILL BE GENERATED FOR THIS ITEM AND THAT WILL BE MADE AVAILABLE ON THE WEBSITE SOUTHLAKESPIN.ORG.
AND THEN AS FAR AS THE VIDEO, TYPICALLY VIDEO FROM THESE MEETINGS IS AVAILABLE 24 TO 48 HOURS AFTER THE MEETING TAKES PLACE.
SO IF YOU'RE LOOKING TO GET A HOLD OF MEETING VIDEO.
AND SO WITH THAT, I'M HAPPY TO BRING THIS MEETING TO A CLOSE.
AND THANK YOU, EVERYBODY, FOR YOUR PARTICIPATION.
THANKS, DANIEL, FOR PRESENTING.
ALL RIGHT. TAKE CARE.
* This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.