City, WDA consider partner to help grow Worland

WORLAND — The Worland City Council voted Tuesday to move forward with a partnership with Washakie Development Association to utilize the economic development funding the city has available.

The city has $350,000 from a community development block grant that has been used for the sidewalk loan program where citizens can apply for a low-interest loan to repair and replace sidewalk, or businesses can also use the funds for different projects.

Clerk-Treasurer Tracy Glanz said the city has helped several local businesses with the funds but there haven’t been as many in recent years.

WDA Executive Director LeAnn Baker said she had approached the town to find out what their guidelines were for the funding so they could pass that on to businesses. She noted the city didn’t appear to have good current rules.

She said that in response, Mayor Jim Gill approached Washakie Development Association about operating the economic development program for the city, utilizing the funds for a revolving loan program.

Gill said at Tuesday’s meeting that he wanted to bring a resolution on his proposal to participate with WDA on the economic development money.

Executive Director LeAnn Baker presented the council members with a draft set of guidelines for a revolving loan program. Baker said WDA has a relationship with the lenders as well as businesses who want to expand, start up or relocate.

“It makes sense to be a tool in the toolbox to help local businesses,” she said.

The revolving loan would be a “participation” or “gap” loan with local lenders. It would allow businesses to use the funds as collateral or make a down payment on a larger loan or on a piece of equipment.

“Deals that might not be able to work otherwise, can actually work,” she said. “It’s a way of working together with the lenders and not competing with the lenders.”

“It makes good deals better,” she added.

Under the proposed guidelines, Baker said the business project must create or retain jobs, a minimum of the 10 percent of the project funding must come from the business and the loan from the city’s economic development fund will not exceed 25 percent of the total project cost.

Baker said to develop the proposed guidelines she meshed the WDA guidelines and the city’s guidelines.

The WDA has a revolving loan fund, of which all funds ($15,000) are currently loaned out, Baker said.

The idea of having Washakie Development manage it, it’s truly to help market it and then we would be handling the paperwork,” Baker said. “There’s the other side of the coin. People who are starting a business or expanding often require confidentiality, that’s not something you can have when you have to go to the city council and show your business plan. It makes it more business friendly to have it managed by a non-profit such as Washakie Development, who is interested in economic development.”

“It’s a good, positive step forward,” Baker said. “It’s a real opportunity for our community, to have a way to help businesses and working toward being more business friendly, working toward growing our own. A big part of economic development starts with growing the businesses you have.”

During the council meeting, Mandy Horath had a concern regarding one section specifying where the money will go when it is repaid. She said it needs to be clarified that all money goes back to the revolving loan fund. – section 8 clarify that for revolving loan fund

Dennis Koch agreed, stating that when he read the section in question “it said as much that WDA would be controlling the money. This is our constituents’ money.”

Horath said she wasn’t concerned about WDA running the program since the city’s money hasn’t been touched in a while and that’s why the county has the Washakie Development Association — for economic development.

Gill added, “I didn’t want to obligate [Clerk/Treasurer] Tracy Glanz to a lot more paperwork and she’s the one who would have to do it.” He added, “I’m trying to sell you on it. I think it has real advantages to help grow businesses. The money has been there sitting for quite some time. Half the money would still be there.”

In an interview Friday, Baker said, “The mayor came to us. The money is not coming to WDA, all we are going to do is manage a revolving loan fund.”

The motion to move forward passed on a 7-1 vote with Bud Callaham absent and Koch opposed.

City Attorney Kent Richins noted he had not reviewed the guidelines. A formal contract and guidelines will be drafted for Richins and the council’s review.

OTHER BUSINESS

In other business at Tuesday’s meeting, the council:

—Approved the new fiscal year budget with $6,391,790 for general fund, plus $2.1 million for water, $1.7 million for sewer and $1.1 million for sanitation.

—Heard a request from Rosa Gonsalez with Playing for Hope to host a 5k run on July 8, the same day as the Relay for Life event. She said the event would not require any road closures.

—Heard a suggestion from Mike Dykman that the city approach the universities who are doing fossil research to see if they might pay for the opportunity to sift through the sediment once the sandbar is removed from the Big Horn River.

—Approved Ordinance 842 updating the Wyoming Gas franchise agreement. Richins said the current agreement ends this year. There are only two main changes, the term decreases from 15 years to 10 years and the company must provide a digital map of the lines for internal city use only.

—Heard a report from Glanz that Relay for Life will be July 8 from 6 a.m. to midnight and there would be music from a disc jockey at Warrior Stadium.

—Set a GIS committee to review proposals from seven firms. Committee members are Horath for Ward 2, Gary Gerber for Ward 1 and Mike Neufer for Ward 3.

—Approved a street closure of Obie Sue from 11th to 12th Street from 5-9 p.m. on Aug. 8 for the Worland Fire Department family picnic.

—Heard a report from Airport Manager Lynn Murdoch that the seal coat project would start Aug. 9 for eight days and there would be three to four days that the airport was shut down.

—Heard a report from Public Works Superintendent Brian Burky that he, the mayor and Council member Michele Rideout met with the manager of the Green Hills Golf Course and some golfers after concerns were raised about the condition of the greens.

“Things are getting better. We’re not out of the woods yet but it’s improving,” Burky said.

Later in the meeting Rideout, the only golfer on the council, was appointed as the council liaison for the golf course.

—Approved the appointments of Koch, Neufer and Keith Gentzler as the shop committee.

The next regular meeting will be 7 p.m. on July 5.