City to talk about hiring economic guru

Two subjects much discussed over the past 30 years will be on the agenda when the Clinton City Council convenes this evening (Tuesday) for its second session of the new year.
Those topics are the possible hiring of a fulltime economic development director for the city and restoration of the water slide at the municipal swimming pool.
The meeting will be held at City Hall starting at 5:30 p.m.
An economic development director has been discussed from time to time over the years. In fact, one was even hired in 1988 after current Councilman Don Rodolph started his long 16-year run as mayor. More recently, the city has employed companies on a part-time basis to promote Clinton with no positive results. In fact, City Manager Mark Skiles said Friday the city has terminated its contract with the last one hired before he arrived and won’t be renewing it.
But Skiles is among those who feel the city does need a fulltime economic development person.
“I am in full support of the establishment of an economic development director for the city of Clinton,” he told the Daily News. “I think it’s a position that is sorely needed, and I have thought that ever since I interviewed for this job.”
David Berrong, who started his second year as mayor in November, likewise feels it’s past time the city hired someone on a fulltime basis. In his guest column on the “Opinion” page of Saturday’s Clinton Daily News, he wrote: “Clinton must search out and hire an Economic Development Director. We must have an individual trained in the complex art of community development who lives in Clinton, and is committed to Clinton’s economic growth 24 hours a day.”
Berrong said the position could be financed from the city’s Economic Development Fund which was created after a special sales tax was approved by voters in 2005 to fund special economic issues that would make Clinton grow.
City Treasurer Debra Blanchard said Friday there’s now just over $1.5 million in that fund and there is nothing that has to be paid on a regular basis from it. She said it’s been used in the past to develop the Redland housing addition and the Commerce Industrial Park and to float a $1.5-million loan the city made for infrastructure development in the area between Interstate 40 and Chapman Road where the Water-Zoo, two motels and a convenience store were subsequently located.
Ms. Blanchard said the businesses paid off the loan completely approximately two years ago, well ahead of schedule. None of the money was used to construct the business properties, and the city now owns the infrastructure – including a service road and utility mains – that the loan was used to finance.
Berrong said in his column that an economic development director should be a “central piece” of Clinton’s economic plan. He said any financial risks of such a hiring would be “far outweighed by the rewards of being competitive with other communities for new businesses and jobs” and the financial rewards that would be experienced by the community.
Tuesday’s council agenda originally read as follows: “Discuss and take action on the hiring of an Economic Development Director.” Another item on the same topic was added Friday. It read: “Discuss and appoint an Economic Development Director Selection Committee.”
The need for renovation of the swimming pool slide was talked about at the council’s Jan. 2 meeting. Morgan Bonnarens, the city’s recreation director, explained that the slide needed major renovations which could cost up to $100,000. A couple of the councilmen balked at the idea of spending that much money, but Mayor Berrong asked for a more precise quote before anything was approved or rejected. Presumably somebody will have it at Tuesday’s meeting, but the wording of the agenda made it sound as if the decision has already been made. “Request authorization to go to bid on Swimming Pool Slide,” it read.
Other items on tonight’s agenda include two change orders that would add $4,000 to the cost of the Redland Addition sewage system and the proposed sale of one lot near the east end of Dunn Avenue, in the northeast part of town. The lot is one that apparently had never been owned by anyone since Clinton was founded until the city accepted title to it in November at no cost.
The agenda for tonight’s meeting did not name a proposed purchaser, but a Daily News reporter looked at the lot after it was accepted and found local resident Rodney Cooper busy cutting down trees in the area. Cooper explained that he owns four other lots and would like to have that one to tie them all together.
Skiles indicated it would be good if Cooper cleared the brush off the one the city now owns and kept the weeds and grass cut, but he also said the city would want to maintain a drainage easement across it since a large concrete ditch appears to empty onto it.