Aurora looking to bolster business community
Amid talk of budget deficits, declining revenues and economic downturns, Aurora is restructuring its development services department to improve the city's business climate and better facilitate public-private partnerships.
Mayor Tom Weisner this week announced the appointment of two city employees and plans to begin a business round-table so groups including the city, the Aurora Economic Development Commission and area chambers of commerce can collaborate to bolster business in the city.
“The idea is to have all of these organizations involved with economic development to be fully engaged, to be collaborating and to be offering some part of the solution or solutions that we're looking for,” Weisner said Friday.
Funding from development fees, which the city council voted to increase in September, will support the salary of one employee who is changing positions, as well as the hiring of other employees to speed the development process for companies looking to build in Aurora, Carie Anne Ergo, chief management officer, said.
Barbara Kattermann, who has been working for the city on developing the new police station, will make $85,384 in 2011 as special assistant for development facilitation, Ergo said.
“I've said all along we need her talents in economic development,” Alderman Mike Saville, chairman of the planning commission, said.
The city estimates higher development fees will generate $800,000 in 2011, Ergo said, but no estimate is available for how much the fees have brought in since September.
The other employee to receive a new appointment, Special Events Manager Gina Moga, will become development coordinator in 2011, working to promote development in downtown Aurora and partnerships between public and private organizations. Like Kattermann, Moga will make $85,384 in 2011.
Ergo said the salaries of Kattermann and Moga will not increase when they assume their new positions. But in a list of employee salaries the city provided the Daily Herald, Moga's 2010 salary was $82,100. Kattermann's salary was not listed.
Alderman Rick Lawrence said the city has not provided aldermen information about revenue generated by the development fee increases.
“Has it turned into such a windfall that we can hire all those people necessary to speed up the process and other people in economic development?” Lawrence asked.
He said economic development is best fostered by individuals not cities looking to increase their tax base.
“Economic development is not done by the government. Economic development is private individuals putting their own capital as risk and seeing a value in doing that,” Lawrence said. “The city of Aurora has not done a good job at giving people the reason to put their own capital at risk in some hope of a return on that investment.”
Judd Lofschie, a real estate attorney who is running for alderman-at-large, is a co-founder of Aurora Business United, a group of 30 to 35 business people that meets monthly to discuss economic issues and solutions. He said Wednesday he hadn't heard of the city's intent to begin a separate business round-table.
“We certainly don't want to duplicate efforts. If the city's behind (the new business round-table) and it's going great, maybe we'll merge our group with it,” Lofschie said.
Weisner said the city-sponsored business round-table will be a formal venue for cooperation toward economic development goals, while Aurora Business United is an informal gathering.
The business round-table likely will meet first in early January, Weisner said.
“I think it's a tremendous opportunity for minority business and the business community as a whole,” Roscoe Greene, chairman of the board of the Quad County African American Chamber of Commerce said. “Any time we can get together and collaborate together gives us an opportunity to have a voice in city government and I think that's a very positive thing.”