City Council focus on economic develop.

DAVE MOSIER/independent editor

Economic development was the focus of Monday night’s Van Wert City Council meeting as city economic development agencies provided updates on their activities.

Cindy Leis and Darlene Myers of the Ohio State University Extension community development program spoke first about their respective activities.

Leis first provided statistics from 2013 Business Retention & Expansion meetings with 17 of the top 30 Van Wert employers in the county. Of that group, 58.8 percent predicted their business would enjoy stable growth in 2014 and 41 percent noted their business as “growing” in 2014.

Of the 17 companies that responded to the BR&E survey, more than half reported business in 2013 as being either excellent (17 percent) or good (47.06 percent). Another 29.31 percent said business was “fair” in 2013.

Concerns for those responding included healthcare costs (50 percent), workers compensation costs (23.33 percent), utility costs (23.33 percent) and state income tax (3.33 percent).

Of the 17 businesses responding to the survey, a third said they planned to spend between $1 million and $9 million in capital investments, while another 40 percent planned to invest less than $1 million on capital projects. Another 26.67 percent planned no capital investments in 2014.

More than three-fourths of the surveyed companies reported profits were up in 2013, while nearly 60 percent planned to increase their workforce this year.

Leis also provided four goals for this year as part of her agency’s action plan. They included:

• Building and maintaining relationships with existing businesses in the city and promoting retention, growth, expansions and profitability.
• Pursuing certification of the nearly 1,600-acre Jobs Ready Site north of Van Wert, with certification expected to be completed by the end of the year, and to aggressively market the site, in addition to other existing sites.
• Promote local and state business incentives and other programs to encourage small business start-ups, and new and relocating business to locate in Van Wert.
• Take a leadership role in the promotion of career opportunities, workforce development and skills needed to retain, grow and attract new businesses.

Myers gave an update on the city’s revolving loan program, noting that 40 loans worth nearly $3 million and more than 200 jobs had been created since the revolving loan program had been created, while adding that $211,000 is currently available for new loans.

She also added that a $178,000 judgment was obtained as part of legal action against Tire Waste Transport, which had defaulted on its revolving loan, with a sheriff’s sale expected to sell assets of that company.

Myers also reported that the county microenterprise fund had made 34 loans totaling more than $500,000, but added that the Van Wert County Board of Commissioners had recently signed a resolution to convert that program to a revolving loan program and end the microenterprise program.

Up next, Main Street Van Wert Program Manager Adam Ries noted that his organization is seeking a $300,000 Community Development Block Grant, with $270,000 of that total to be earmarked for private rehabilitation or building improvement efforts in the downtown area.

Ries noted that owners of 76 of the 146 downtown buildings said they intend to make improvements during the grant period, while 18 indicated they would likely spend $25,000 or more on building updates.

Likely the largest project will be that of Van Wert Municipal Court, which has budgeted $600,000 for improvements to the former First Financial Bank building to convert it into the court’s new home.

Van Wert County officials are also pledging $55,000 for ADA and other improvements in the downtown area, while also spending nearly $300,000 over the next two years for renovations to the courthouse, sheriff’s office and County Annex building.

Total investments generated by the $300,000 CDBG program is estimated at more than $2 million, Ries said, for an investment ratio of $7 generated for every $1 of the grant.

Also Monday, City Council approved the city tax budget and also approved legislation related to updated city codes and ordinances.

City Auditor Martha Balyeat had mostly good financial news during her report, noting that income tax was up more than $40,000 for the year and that the city was up overall more than $15,000 over last year. Although Balyeat noted that finances were again mostly static, she did state that the city continued to move forward slowly. “We’re not moving ahead too fast, but were not falling behind either,” the city auditor said.

Safety-Service Director Jay Fleming talked about upcoming city street painting projects.

Council went into executive session to hear an update on union negotiations prior to adjourning.