It appears the Sullivan City Council is committed to hiring a full-time Economic Developer to help bring development to the city.
The council held a special meeting on Tues., Feb. 11 where they unanimously approved the advertisement for the position, with applications to be completed by Mar. 31.
The minutes from the meeting and the council actions were:
City administrator Mark Falloon reported on the financial status of the city as of Jan. 31, 2010. Revenues have exceeded expenditures so far this fiscal year. The economic developer position would be funded from the general fund. The general fund started with a deficit at the beginning of fiscal year 2010.
Snow removal and emergency building repairs to the Parks and Chamber building will have an impact on the budget surplus. Falloon reported that the general fund deficit was intended to become zero with a reduction in the number of transfers from the electric fund. A historical survey of sales tax was also reviewed.
City administrator Falloon reported on information he has gleaned from discussions and messages from other city managers and city administrators in Missouri.
The survey of information revealed that some cities use a contracted employee and others used a city employee. The pros and cons of these methods were discussed with the general consensus reached that the city of Sullivan would be best served by a city employee. It was also agreed that area residency would be preferred.
The job description for the economic developer was reviewed and updated. It was the general consensus that the developer would report to the city administrator, but also report monthly to the Board of Aldermen at a council meeting. The board also agreed that this individual must possess grant writing capabilities with proven results.
Discussion was held about the interview process with the general consensus that the city administrator narrow the number of candidates down to three. Members of the Board of Aldermen would then interview the remaining three.
Some discussion ensued about the long range impact this position would have on the general fund budget. Alderman Tom Leasor noted that, as of Jan. 31, 2010, the city was only into four months of the fiscal year. He suggested waiting another couple of months, which would put the city at halfway through the budget. That way, there would be a better idea of how the general fund and financial status are faring.
Alderman Jarrett Dace stated that economic development has been neglected too long in the city of Sullivan and it must be a top priority in order to grow. He stressed how important the role of an economic developer plays in this endeavor.
A rather lengthy discussion ensued on how this position would impact the city’s budget and the recent trends in the economy. Alderman Leasor stated that this should be considered a long-term investment for the City of Sullivan.
Following this discussion, a motion was made by Alderman Michael Lohden to advertise for an economic development director with an application deadline of Mar. 31, 2010. Alderman Dace seconded the motion and it carried unanimously.
Being no further business at this time, Alderman Lohden made a motion to adjourn the meeting with Alderman Dace seconding it. The motion carried unanimously and the meeting adjourned at approximately 8:45 p.m.