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02/10/2021 - Minutes SALT LAKE CITY BUSINESS ADVISORY BOARD Wednesday, February 10th,2021 8:30 a.m.— 10:00 a.m. Chairperson Piccoli read the following statement: I, Darin Piccoli, Chairperson of the Business Advisory Board,hereby determine that conducting the Business Advisory Board meeting at an anchor location presents a substantial risk to the health and safety of those who may be present at the anchor location. The World Health Organization,the President of the United States,the Governor of Utah,the Salt Lake County Health Department, Salt Lake County Mayor, and the Mayor of Salt Lake City have all recognized a global pandemic exists related to the new strain of the coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2. Due to the state of emergency caused by the global pandemic,I find that conducting a meeting at an anchor location under the current state of public health emergency constitutes a substantial risk to the health and safety of those who may be present at the location. MINUTES 1. Roll call The following members of the Business Advisory Board were present: Darin Piccoli, Chair Abudujannah Soud JD Smith Jeff Carleton Sue Rice John Lair Karen Gunn Angela Brown Alfonso Brito The following members of the Business Advisory Board were absent: Kestrel Liedtke, Vice-Chair Also Present: Rachel Molinari,Department of Economic Development; Ben Kolendar, Department of Economic Development; Roberta Reichgelt,Department of Economic Development; Will Wright, Department of Economic Development; Peter Makowski, Department of Economic Development; Clark Cahoon,Department of Economic Development; Allison Rowland, Salt Lake City Council Office; Tony Milner, Salt Lake City Housing and Neighborhoods; Chief Brown, Salt Lake City Police Department(SLCPD); Edward Bennett, Suazo Center; Derek Deitsch,Downtown Alliance; and Kristen Lavelett,Local First Utah 2. Announcements City Council Announcements Ms. Rowland did not have any announcements for the Board but asked if any member had questions. • Mr. Deitsch asked if the Board could receive an update on the Redevelopment Agency's (RDA) project involving the Utah Theater. Ms. Rowland said the RDA signed an agreement with the developer, Hines,and that the project is now in the administration's hands. She said the RDA Board would have to go through a long process to make any changes to what was agreed upon in the original contract and that Hines would need to go back in front of the RDA Board to make any changes as well. Mr. Deitsch asked if BAB could also receive more details on RDA projects in general at later meetings. Ms. Reichgelt said that she would ask RDA staff to provide project updates as they pertain to BAB business so that the Board could have more information on what is happing in the City. Economic Development Announcements • Director Kolendar said the job posting for Economic Development Deputy Director is now live. He explained that the candidate's ability to speak Spanish will be highly weighed in the decision. Ms.Reichgelt stated that a candidate was selected for the Building Services Liaison, a position previously held by Georg Ott. The internal employee will start on February 22,2021. • Director Kolendar said the Department of Economic Development is looking at its internal policy and procedures and making changes so that the Department is equitable in its hiring practices. He said the Department is one step ahead of the City in terms of restructuring its policy and that he would share the draft policy with the Board. • Director Kolendar stated that the Mayor's 2021 Plan/Report Card was now available at the link: https://www.slc.gov/wp-content/up loads/2021/01/2021-Plan.pdf • Director Kolendar provided an overview on Covid updates statewide. He said that the State's primary focus is continuing the vaccine rollout and that the number of reported cases has gone down dramatically. The downtick in cases will provide opportunities to slowly add to the economic activity of the state. He also said there is an outstanding concern on mutations of virus and if there will be any uptick in cases due to any Superbowl gatherings. He told the Board that the Biden administration's 1.9 trillion stimulus package is going through the approval process and that he would send everyone a high-level overview of what is included in that package after the meeting. • Director Kolendar stated that the Department had previously taken the request for an increase in the Arts Council's Capital Improvement Program(CIP)funding to the City Council and the Council required some amendments including a maintenance report and ordinance suggestions which the Department recently presented as part of that process. He explained that the end goal was to increase the funding for the arts from 1%to 1.5%as part of the CIP funding, which encompasses nearly 7% of the general fund budget, and the Council provided support for the allocation through a straw poll. Director Kolendar said that allocation is expected to be included in the next fiscal year's budget. 3. Approval of the minutes of the January 13th,2021 meeting Ms.Brown made a motion to approve the minutes from January 13, 2021 meeting. Ms. Rice seconded the motion. Upon roll call,the motion passed unanimously. 4. Business Item A. Crime Impact on Small Business—Chief Brown, Salt Lake City Police Department (SLCPD), Chief Director Kolendar said he appreciated Chief Brown joining the meeting to speak with the Board. Chief Brown provided an overview of his personal and professional background. He said that he has been with SLCPD for 30 years and has been Chief for the last 5 years. Chief Brown said that he wanted to discuss the status of crime, SLCPD's plan for the increase in crime, and its role with those experiencing homeless. Chief Brown stated that on January 5,2021 he held a press conference with Mayor Mendenhall and others to announce SLCPD's significant policy reforms related to the PD's use of force,body cameras,and search and seizure policies. He stated that violent crime has increased 21% in Salt Lake City which accounts for 287 more victims of crimes in 2020. He recognized that as businesses owners,the Board is sensitive to the increased numbers because when crime is up, fear is also up. He recognized the Mayor's strong leadership and ability to work with SLCPD to come up with a crime reduction plan. The plans objective is to reduce overall crime in SLC by 10%,reduce violent crime by 5%, and to reduce property crime by 10%. The plan also includes the creation of a violent crime taskforce,that partners with federal agencies to apprehend the most violent criminals in Salt Lake City. Chief Brown stated that the criminal justice system shut down as a result of Covid and the jail's capacity has had to be lowered from 2,800 to under 1,000 because the spread of Covid. One of the biggest hurdles for SLCPD is the amount of times it has to release arrested persons(APs)because of capacity. Many times people who committed felonies are being released and are then rearrested within 24hours.He explained that these individuals would normally be held until their trial,but no jury trials have been held in 8 months. This situation creates a revolving door situation in the criminal justice system. Chief Brown said since May 30,2020,when George Floyd lost his life,it has spurred a demand for police reform nationwide. He said he wants the community to know that SLCPD has heard those demands and has taken the issues to heart and be proactive in its reforms and approach to in order to gain the trust back from the community.However,he said that it has not stopped the people from protesting and that there have been over 290 protests leading up to the presidential inauguration. As a result, SLCPD must staff all the protests to make sure people are safe to express their first amendment rights. Chief Brown also stated that 67 officers resigned or retired in 2020. With less officers to patrol and respond to calls it impacts the community and the crime rates. Ms.Rice mentioned the bill currently being discussed in the legislature that would do away with permits for carrying guns and asked if that would make the PD's job harder. Chief Brown said as an organization the SLCPD is opposed that bill. He went on to say that SLC and the rest of the state of Utah have different views on guns and that it would be one more hurdle and probably problematic for the PD's officers to face. Mr. Carleton asked whether the revolving jail applies to violent criminals or if those people are being held in jail. Chief Brown said that House Bill 206,which deals with bail and pretrial release went into effect on October 1,2020. The legislation was designed to eliminate the disparity between those who have the financial means to post bail and be released, as opposed to those who have limited means and remain in jail solely based on their financial situation. He said that violent criminals are starting to be held longer, but the issue is with the jury system and if no trials are taking place,he doesn't know how long these individuals can be held. Mr.Bennett said that he has heard from Suazo Business Center clients that response times for westside calls about homeless or disruptions to businesses is very slow or nonexistent,even for 911 calls. Chief Brown said there are multiple factors effecting the response time. The lack of workforce from those who retired,quit, or on leave due to Covid or other types of leave has definitely had an impact. He added that service calls have increased in 2020 by 16,000 which also accounts for the slower response times. Chief Brown explained that there are currently18 new recruits out on parole duty,and an additional 38 more officers on parole. Chief Brown also said that Pioneer Patrol Bureau has the most proactive bike squad in the City.As a result of these changes, Chief Brown said he hopes they will be more responsive to calls in the future. Chairperson Piccoli asked Chief Brown to explain what SLCPD is doing for those experiencing homelessness. Chief Brown said that someone experiencing homeless,mental health or addiction is not a crime and thinks that with the Mayor's new Community Commitment Plan in place it will help people who are struggling.He explained that SLCPD has 10 social workers under manager Jessica Waters who all work in the Public Safety building under a co-responder model and can assist officers with getting those experiencing homelessness into treatment. Chief Brown encouraged BAB members to continue to call SLPD so that it will have the data available on a map and can direct services based on that data. Ms.Reichgelt said there have been many inquiries about homelessness and crime so the department will distribute a list of resources and phone numbers to call as well as other helpful information for business owners,including recommendations such as putting up no trespassing signs. B. HUD CARES Grant Program for Small Business—Tony Milner,HAND Mr.Milner provided a status report on the CARES Act funding that was earmarked for small business relief. He stated stat the Department of Housing and Neighborhoods(HAND)is responsible for administering the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD),Community Development Block Grant(CDBG),and the Coronavirus Aid,Relief, and Economic Security Act(CARES) funding for the City. He explained that while the funding was meant as a Covid relief package,all the funding still had to go towards HUD eligible activities and meet the requirements of serving low income communities and populations in Salt Lake City. Mr. Milner said HAND worked to put together to recommended categories, including small business relief,to present to Council for the available CBDG grants. He said that the competitive application process was open to community partners that would provide a program to administer funding to businesses needing relief funds,rather than to the community directly, which is a HUD requirement, for the month of November. Mr. Milner said HAND staff has tried to advertise it to the Suazo Business Center,Utah Microloan Enterprise Fund, minority chambers as well as the SLC Chamber and Department of Economic Development.He admitted that they could have done a better job with the promotion of the grant availability and will make sure to include the BAB in any future funding allocations. Director Kolendar said it is a shared responsibility between the two departments to make sure the information is getting to business owners in Salt Lake City and especially for funding that would not typically be on their radars. He expressed that he wanted to be completely transparent with the BAB and will do better to bring them information in a timelier manner. Mr.Milner said that after soliciting for application,they received fewer than expected and had$468,000 in unrequested funding. He explained that the Council provided a list of priorities that it would like to fund with the remaining money and will finalize those recommendation at an upcoming meeting. He also explained that HAND set aside a line item of$500,000 for small business grants and received 1 eligible application from the International Rescue Committee for$150,000 and they will be serving about 30 small businesses food entrepreneurs,mostly women and minority owned startups through the Spice Kitchen. He said they also received an application from the City's Sustainability Department in conjunction with the United Way, International Rescue Committee, and Comunidades Unidas to provide 30,000 food boxes for the communities effected most by Covid,which includes the Westside of Salt Lake City as well as the Brown and Latinx communities. He explained that the food is being purchased at wholesale from local providers,including New Roots and other organizations that benefit the local refugee communities.Mr.Milner announced that the Council gave direction for Nourish to Flourish to receive funding to partner with non-profit organizations to provide 42,000 meals to the community through restaurants including Trio, Pulp Lifestyle Kitchen,Diversion, and Moochies. Chairperson Piccoli asked about the total allocation of funding and the requirements for applying. Mr. Milner said there was a total of$7.1 million in CARES Act dollars through HUD, about$3.6 million in CDBG funding, and$760,000 for small businesses relief awarded to the City. Mr.Milner said the application period is closed and it is up to the City Council to make their final decisions. Chairperson Piccoli also asked if community councils could apply for any of the funding that was available. Mr.Milner said that funding is typically for non-profits but that if a for-profit business applied, they could then administer the funding to other non-profit businesses. Mr.Rice asked what HUD considered a small business and if it is in line with the Small Busines Administration's (SBA)definition of less than 500 employees.Mr.Milner said that HUD defines a small business as a business with less than 50 employees and reiterated that HUD funds can only go towards underserved communities and minorities. Ms.Rice also asked if there were any opportunities to provide assistance to those filling out applications because the process can be daunting for small business owners. Mr. Milner said HAND put together a how-to guidebook on its website and provided online trainings with staff available to answer the applicant's questions. Mr.Brito asked how the Board could receive updates on when new funding is available.Mr. Milner said they currently have an email group and Ms.Reichgelt said that she would provide all the BAB's emails to Mr.Milner to add to that list to keep them in the loop to receive updates. C. Letter to BAB from Chair&Vice Chair—Darin Piccoli &Kestrel Liedtke Chairperson Piccoli read the letter that he and Vice-Chair Liedtke wrote that outlined their goals and objectives to meet the BAB's charge over the next year. He explained that he and Vice-Chair Liedtke were seeking endorsement from the wider Board prior to sending the letter to Council and the Administration. Chairperson Piccoli said the Board would request the Department of Economic Development bring City items to the Board more in advance so that they can give their input and use the opportunity to use its voice more on City business. Ms.Rowland said the Council would welcome the BAB having a more active role but would need to work out the timing issues for when Council needs information on items being presented beforehand. Vice-Chair Piccoli said the BAB would start by focusing on the work session agenda emails and meet with Ms.Reichgelt on Fridays in the future to so that Board members are accustomed to the Council process and meetings. Chairperson Piccoli asked for a motion to approve the letter. Mr. Smith made a motion to approve the letter. Mr. Lair seconded the motion.Upon roll call,the motion passed unanimously D. DED Policy and Name Change—Ben Kolendar,DED Director Director Kolendar explained that the Department is seeking input and feedback regarding a department ordinance and policy update. He said the revisions seek to change the name of the department to the Department of Economic Opportunity. The revisions also seek to clarify the programs and functions that take place within the Department as well as to highlight the overall purpose of those programs and functions. He said that he plans to present the proposed changes to the Arts Council Board,the Human Rights Commission,as well as the BAB. Director Kolendar said since the Department's creation in 2016, it has made a lot of progress in terms of investment in the City and hosting high level events including the United Nations event. He said the department's future focus would be towards economic activities that support equity in human and social capital and increasing the tax base as well as embedding public art in the City's infrastructure and increasing the overall participation in arts and cultural activities. He also mentioned raising the opportunity index score (https://opportunityindex.org/)through the department objectives. Mr.Bennett said the function the department will serve makes sense to him,but he did not know if a name change was necessary to achieve that unless the goal was to be the first to make that change. He said the term Economic Development is already a very recognized name throughout the State and Country. Director Kolendar said that a trend is starting across other organizations in the State to think about a name change and gave the example of on Economic Development group in Florida that has already made the change. He explained that when you hear the term economic development you typically focus on the development of things and the intent is to switch that focus to human and social capital. Mr. Deitsch said he had similar feelings as Mr.Bennett but said that as long as the Department is prepared to explain what Economic Opportunity means then it should not be a problem. Director Kolendar agreed and said it would be a great opportunity to explain to its partners and others what they do as a department. Ms.Reichgelt said that it was important to clarify that the RDA is no longer under the Department of Economic Development. Director Kolendar said that change was more administrative in nature than anything else and that the two departments will still work together closely. 5. Adjournment There being no further business,the meeting was adjourned. Darin Piccoli(Mar 15,2021 22:51 MDT) Darin Piccoli,Chairperson This document and the recording constitute the official minutes of the Economic Development Business Advisory Board meeting held February 10,2021. BAB Minutes12 .9.20 Final Audit Report 2021-03-16 Created: 2021-03-15 By: Rachel Molinari(rachel.molinari@slcgov.com) Status: Signed Transaction ID: CBJCHBCAABAA8xeO2gGjBmJ2slkNeslVv4-OAzbaB7dd "BAB Minutes12.9.20" History Document created by Rachel Molinari (rachel.molinari@slcgov.com) 2021-03-15-6:52:32 PM GMT-IP address:204.124.13.222 Document emailed to Darin Piccoli (d@thestateroom.com) for signature 2021-03-15-6:53:50 PM GMT • Email viewed by Darin Piccoli (d@thestateroom.com) 2021-03-16-4:50:31 AM GMT-IP address:73.63.53.65 Document e-signed by Darin Piccoli (d@thestateroom.com) Signature Date:2021-03-16-4:51:34 AM GMT-Time Source:server-IP address:73.63.53.65 ® Agreement completed. 2021-03-16-4:51:34 AM GMT .;":4 Adobe Stgn