Local News
Council creates business task force
EDMOND — City Council members Monday evening approved creating a trend-setting citizen-led task force designed to enhance communication between Edmond’s small businesses and the city.
In a recent speech, Karen Mills, U.S. Small Business Administration administrator, said small businesses have created roughly 70 percent of all new U.S. jobs in the past decade.
Before the vote, several local small business owners voiced their support of the proposed task force.
Ken Moore, president and CEO of the Edmond Area Chamber of Commerce, encouraged passage of the resolution, and said creating a pro-small business task force would send a strong signal to the business community that the city really cares about them.
Moore said he pays attention to what’s going on in communities around Oklahoma, and every now and then he finds good ideas.
Moore said he doesn’t see much of a downside, and the city would be doing something different that no other community in Oklahoma is doing. The city would be saying it truly wants to be an advocate to maintain and attract jobs through small businesses, he said.
“There’s a lot of communities out there that are really struggling at the present time,” Moore said.
Michelle Schaefer, owner of the Farmer’s Insurance agency at 19 E. Hurd St., said part of Edmond’s charm is its small businesses, and the vast majority of the city’s businesses are considered small businesses.
The task force would foster the growth of existing businesses and provide a more streamlined process for businesses considering locating here, Schaefer said.
Tad Kennedy, owner of Kennedy Tire and Auto Service, 530 W. Edmond Road, also supported the resolution. Kennedy said he has interacted with the city on a variety of construction and building issues and knows there is an organized process.
“A small business owner wears a lot of different hats, has a lot of different responsibilities,” Kennedy said. “The main responsibility is to stay in business.”
A task force could benefit a small business in understanding how that process works, maybe providing feedback, Kennedy said. It could help that aspect of working with the city go smoother, he said.
The Edmond Small Business Task Force will review and provide recommendations to the City Council and city staff regarding the interaction between the city and small businesses, Mayor Patrice Douglas said.
It also will work with the Edmond Economic Development Authority and the Edmond Area Chamber of Commerce to ensure that services are being provided to small businesses and it will work with other city boards and commissions to develop strategies and programs beneficial to small businesses.
A small business was defined as one employing 50 or fewer employees.
Douglas said the next step will be the appointment of task force members. It will consist of nine members appointed by the mayor and the City Council, all of whom are to be owners or executives of small businesses within the city limits, and an ex-officio City Council member.
The task force is to be in effect for a period of one year from the date of its first meeting and it is to report back to the City Council during that period with its recommendations.
In other business, the council approved spending $25,000 for a professional services agreement with Kimley-Horn and Associates for grant applications toward three stimulus-related projects.
The council also granted a zoning change that will allow a live theater, the Lighthouse Theater, to be at 844 W. Danforth Road.
marks@edmondsun.com | 341-2121, ext. 108
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