City Council - Regular Meeting

So I don't know what MCDC their overall annual budget is, but I know it's modest. I mean, beyond this 50,000, it could be 70 or 80,000. And I've always felt that the challenge there to have real results coming out of, you know, MCDC, it's just, it's tough with staff and limited resources. So what I'm hearing maybe is that with an additional contribution to renew, maybe renew can do some of those things that at least I hope that MCDC could do before around housing. Is that fair?

That I would be in full support of. I just think the MCDC has been challenged and we can't, or I don't want to keep pouring more of our budget into such a modest program that's challenged to get results with its small budget. New speaker thank you.

New speaker yes in fact I recall the person we ever talked about creating a position and that asked for the salary my biggest concern was it's not enough you really are going to get what you pay for and to get somebody who because I believe there was talks about training a cdfi community development financial institution need somebody with a lot of experience know-how those folks are hard to find and so here we are I don't know how many years later and it didn't really take off as the initially intended so just looking at the three entities we also have a lot of work that we're going to do in

I was just following up on your point there with the board or how the board has perceived itself. So we have many non-profits in this area where, staff and board of progressive fundraisers. That's never been the case. And it's, I think the idea behind that has been we can only do so much. And so they become reliant on our contribution to match whatever else they have. That just doesn't seem like a winning recipe moving forward.

If CDC is subsumed by the renewal molding, then I do not have a problem. If there is an entity, so all on a sudden you cannot say no. That does not look decent, number one. Number two, not reasonable, not rational. They are doing at least some of the things. So suddenly we say that, oh, we are shutting down your door. So I do not agree with that. Thank you very much.

Mr. razak? I would like to just add I would like to just add one thing. One thing. It's a matter of $25,000. It's a matter of $25,000. If we move that $25,000 if we move that $25,000 to the new molin, that does not to the new molin, that does not entail that the new molin will entail that the new molin will concur the whole world. I am rather in favor of another entity who has some connection with the neighborhood and they are doing some other work. So I am in favor of that. The entity should be.

I'm in favor of that entity. Okay. But fund, it could be, you know, in terms of fund, it could be, you know, it's already halfway, but I'm not in favor of that, defunding them.

Could we also ask staff to maybe provide some background on the different iterations? Because I know at one point, just the bouncing around of the position.

Moline center. Well, the different entities, because there was a main street too. Yeah. It doesn't. And, but there was a board that we used to get together and then it was assault. So there was some structural changes that happened which frankly, I, I was disconnected after that was assault. But that was a decision made within the Renew Malene area. So just a different iteration and changes that have happened so that we can get a better picture of all of that.

Yeah, I just know we're going to need help. We're going to need help if we decide to go with an amphitheater and activate that. Well, is it fair to put it on one person? And if so, what kind of support are they going to get? So those are the things that I'm thinking about. And then what's going to be the next few things that pop up after that? Just making sure that we have enough support and connections that can get some really do it justice. If we're going to be dumping or getting a bond or putting a lot of money into the downtime, we really have to start thinking who's out there that can hel

Yeah, just want to reiterate what you said. We don't have anything built yet. There's still time. to figure all this stuff out is just having those conversations early and letting everybody know what options are out there. But yeah, as of now, I'm just thinking the moment we start building stuff out there, we better be very well prepared and we are gonna need help.

Can I just, as it relates to GROW, can I just make a comment? And I think Alderman Person Schmidt has brought this up before about what's happening for Moline. I don't know if they report to staff, but I'd be grateful to have a report on the impact for the city of Moline. I just want to give an example. The report's all very general, but the first bullet I read is how they led an expansion for a business in Iowa that left Illinois. and a whole subsequent list of bullets that we researched this and explored that. So I think, and I apologize if I'm wrong, but I think it was you all, the person t

And I don't know because of this report. That's all. I just want to know if they're reporting to our staff or what's happening. Got it.

And if I may. Again, I am part of the board, Tom. And, but we do have our administrator is part of the Board as well.

Can I comment on that? And then also the few previous like river action and others. There's a question. I know Carol, when you opened, you said we invited funded partners. Do we invite funded partners, council that then just decline to come and report? I'm grateful when they do, is what I'm saying. Are they all, do we reach out to all of them to come and report?

That's what I recall. I'd like to hear from the youth commission as well. And they're at 20,000, the same as we did here from third place. So that maybe in the future.

I see why not. I mean, over the course of the year, it doesn't have to be, I mean, just update us on what they're doing.

You just remind me how it worked last year. Did our operator have state funding? So that was part of the budget. That's not, that wouldn't be the case with a prospective partner this year.

Yeah. So when we talk about that 400,000, we all pitched in, but.

Yeah. But we don't have an operator and wait this year that has

That's not like we did last year, to be part of this formula. Okay.

Mr. Macias. Has anybody brought up those? There's some, I mean, you could do it in a parking lot, movable ones that it's basically like they can do them in a week.

Mr. Messiaen. Beyond vanity, they do serve a good purpose. I don't know if anybody's done the volunteer for their kids. They don't call it this time. They call it something else. Imagination something. But they really learn how municipalities work with these businesses, so on and so forth. But yeah, I would hate to see another city in up there and I'm sure they would, one of the other Quad Cities. But yeah, there's some educational aspect. It's one of our, there's basically the headquarters also one of our, an employer here, another credit union. There's so many things there that I think we pr

Or we could be a good regional partner and give another city a turn for three years and we can always come back. It's an option.

I would say if time allows for council to go on a tour, just ask staff and sit in what is city hall and see how that works. And if you see that value.

I do recall the very original intent was for people who were like going to college, the leveling up aspect But I do really like this, and I'm a little biased, but I love the idea of combining some budgeting or financial coaching or something that they can get out of it. I don't know if you want to make it a requirement, but just introducing them to how to manage, and not that they mismanage their finances. These are people who probably don't have enough money coming in. That's the biggest issue. But any little bit that they can learn pertaining to finances or connecting them with resources, I

Well, I just want to preface, you know, whoever, however, this is administered, this is challenging work. It's very hard.

I've seen the stories, but I also think it would be fair at least From my perspective, when we get the next report, for me, if it was a cumulative look at what we've invested, like the very first sentence in that report says, Moline's investment of X has resulted in Y citizens leveling up. And then go on to explain all of those stories we've learned about how they've leveled up. because I just think that's a fair look. I'm hearing people say, well, the original intention was, or it's still the intention. That's what we want to see that our citizens are leveling up. So I think that's okay to pu

that to me, but I am very concerned with where it stands and where it could go. I believe that the fate and fortune of this White House will be demolition.

Oh, just because a couple ideas got thrown out about where we might save. When you bring up that position, the more I read about it, I am excited about it. I look to increasing the youth commission and I wonder if those distributing all those smaller grants would have as much impact what we can do with that library outreach position and our continued investment in the library. So just food for thought.

Yeah. But beyond that, just creating some sort of specific future asks, like say 20 years from now, Mercado is not around, right? Is this something that we continue for other nonprofits or say they change, they evolve or whatever, the different nonprofit, what's the mechanism or system that we have in place for them to ask for

So just comment about all non-profits is they understand they have event expenses. Some of those event expenses are going to include the police. Can we transition with Mercado I don't know, back to them paying us so just everybody pays us? I mean, maybe not this year, but... So no one asked for in-kind?

Thank you for your presentation. and make things easier for us.

Nothing wrong. Yes, I'd like to congratulate all the persons for being honored as a leader under 40 by the Quad city business center.