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HomeMy WebLinkAbout04-19-21 Finance Com MinutesDUBLIN CITY COUNCIL FINANCE COMMITTEE MEETING Monday, April 19, 2021 – 4:00 p.m. Virtual Meeting Minutes Mr. Peterson called the Finance Committee meeting of April 19, 2021 to order at 4:00 p.m. Present were: Mr. Peterson and Mr. Keeler. Ms. Alutto was absent (excused). Staff present were: Ms. Rauch, Ms. O’Callaghan, Mr. Stiffler, Ms. Ocheltree, Mr. Robison, Mr. McKee, Tammy Noble, Mr. Brown, Ms. Gilger Also present were: Jamie Greene and Logan Stang, PlanningNEXT. Dublin 2035 Ms. Noble provided an overview of the meeting goals. She defined the Dublin 2035 Framework as the development of a unified framework, a visionary set of big ideas as we look into 2035. The Dublin 2035 Framework is necessary to guide City investments, policy decisions and community collaboration. She shared the milestone timeline. The process for this meeting is within milestone one. Every Committee has been asked the same two discussion questions: 1. What are the big ideas for your theme (for Finance Committee, the theme is Economics)? 2. What does the Committee need to know to justify these ideas? Mr. Greene began the discussion by demonstrating that there may be some cross-pollination across the four committees as big ideas are discussed. He started the discussion by encouraging those in attendance to share their big ideas. The following was shared:  Mr. Peterson: He stated that Dublin is a community that tries to stay ahead of what is coming next. He stated that DubLink, interconnectivity, fiber to the home to enable people to work from home. He briefly mentioned the impact that COVID has had on people working in office settings. Being able to respond to challenges that the City may or may not face regarding tax collections and the evolution that is taking place.  Mr. Keeler: He shared that he would like to expand the ability to attract companies to call Dublin home. He would like to see the creation of an economic tool kit or financial tool kit for those property owners or business owners interested in redevelopment from the Historic District Finance Committee April 19, 2021 Page 2 over to the Frantz Road area. He stated he finds it interesting that economics isn’t cross-pollinated with housing. He believes that one affects the other. Mr. Greene stated that much of what has been stated are outcomes. He suggested thinking in terms of what strategies will move toward those outcomes.  Mr. McKee: He shared the idea of an education hub that could offer technical tools that could be available, in a shared space similar to shared working environments. Spark ideas through small start-ups and communal work environments.  Mr. Robison: He stated that being active in talking to employers about what they will do with their workforce; whether back into office, stay at home or some sort of hybrid model. He also suggested that aging infrastructure could discourage the return to the workplace, so dated legacy buildings need brought up-to-date to attract other employers.  Mr. Stiffler: He stated that one of the reasons that Dublin has been so successful is that the economic model was understood and dominant up until March of 2020. Past leadership built the community they wanted within that economic model. He added that as we exit the pandemic, we will enter into a new economic model. He stated that we will need to understand that model, redevelop our community standards to maximize that model. Once we understand the model, the question becomes, “do we have the courage to change our community in ways that are acceptable to us to maximize the new model?”  Ms. Ocheltree: She stated she would like to optimize technology to streamline their processes.  Ms. Gilger: She stated that finding a way to get competitive fiber-optics to every home. She added that setting up home offices is important if that is what the workforce will continue to demand, and diversifying our housing stock is vital so we have lots of options. Neighborhoods need updated and more competitive also.  Mr. Brown: He stated that trying to think of what that new paradigm might be and responding accordingly is key. We have to have an infrastructure and eco-system of thought and the courage to act on that.  Mr. Stiffer: He stated that sometimes there are negative consequences to the dominant model, such as office buildings bring in more people that creates more traffic etc. It is the realization that what it will take to propel the community forward may not all be good, and some of these negatives may need to be off-set with something.  Ms. Noble: She suggested a more specialized support system for our businesses and what we can do for our businesses to keep them and keep their employees happy. Mr. Greene stated that there are a lot of fundamental items mentioned such as housing, workforce, and connectivity. He asked for any additional ideas. Finance Committee April 19, 2021 Page 3  Ms. Gilger: She stated that hospitals and funeral homes used to be the gap in Dublin. The City has tackled that issue and we have those amenities now. She is always looking at what amenities are not in Dublin that could make this community even more desirable to those looking for a place to live and/or work. She suggested things such as a performance center or a sports complex similar to the Grand Sports Complex in Indiana. Mr. Greene asked about the West Innovation District and if that was a location that could realize some of these ideas.  Mr. McKee stated that the West Innovation District was what he had in mind when thinking about his education hub idea. He stated there are already schools operating in the area and it will become more populated once fully developed. He stated that it may bring in the younger population.  Ms. Noble stated that the diversity in housing ties into Mr. McKee’s ideas also. Providing housing options that do not require a great deal of maintenance but still look really nice is essential. She reiterated that when talking about diversifying housing it is not just in price point. Diversifying housing also includes the type of housing choices.  Mr. Keeler stated that younger workers want the Bridge Park feel. Regarding Ms. Noble’s comments, he stated that the kind of resident you will attract can be predicted based upon the style of housing. For example, a smaller one bedroom is not going to attract a family. We can control over-burdening our schools based upon the kind of housing we offer. He also affirmed Mr. Stiffler’s comments regarding deliberate decisions and calculated risks that make sense.  Ms. Gilger stated that she supports having “nodes” of Bridge Park type developments around the City such as in the Metro/Blazer area. She also stated she would like to also have connectivity between these nodes for people to visit the various areas without a car. Mr. Greene stated that he understands there is a great deal of innovative work happening along the 33 Corridor. Are there big ideas along the 33 Corridor?  Ms. Gilger stated that the kind of work that will be happening along that corridor may require buildings that Dublin does not have. She suggested finding ways to increase our land mass and land use for those types of buildings would be helpful. She added that finding the types of businesses where people have to physically report to work there are desirable. Mr. Keeler agreed with Ms. Gilger’s comments and stated that there are areas in Dublin where there can be manufacturing and distribution.  Mr. Peterson stated that the 33 Corridor is the last frontier in Dublin. The relationships going out that direction will become very important as they have a great deal of control over what happens along Dublin borders.