Caledonia Argus

Council considers new contract with SEMDC; cable pact amended

Posted: 12/2/03

by Jane Palen
Managing editor

The city council is expected to renew its agreement with the Southeast Minnesota Development Corporation at its budget meeting later this month. The matter was discussed at the November 24 city council meeting.

The cityís contract with SEMDC includes the services of Joyce Iverson, who acts as the cityís community development coordinator.

The new contract calls for a continuation of 20 hours per week for Iverson at $28 per hour, with a not-to-exceed figure of $29,120 annually. That represents a 3.7 percent increase over last yearís figure.

Joe Hoffman, director of SEMDC, reminded the council that the contract is all-inclusive and covers expenses such as computer, travel, cell phone, copies. insurance, and retirement benefits. The actual cost to provide the service is closer to $34 per hour.

One role of the community development director is to assist business development and expansion administrate programs such as TIF, tax abatement, revolving loan funds and grants-writing.

In a related matter, Iverson updated the council on the JOBZ program. The acronym stands for Job Opportunity Building Zone and it is designed to offer tax advantages to businesses that expand their work forces by at least 20 percent.

Ace agreement amended

In other business, the council heard from representatives from Ace Communications, who informed the council of a change to the franchise agreement recently approved for the Ace Cable Television franchise.

Dave Schroeder, a representative from Ace, told the council that customers who do not have Ace telephone service will still be able to have Ace television. Previously, the council had been told that only Ace telephone customers would be able to receive the signal since it is delivered over a telephone system rather than coaxial cable.

Schroeder told the council that the agreement calls for completion of the hook-ups in Caledonia by December of 2005.

ìBut it would be in our best interest to get it done before that,î he said.

In other news, the council approved Kelly McGraw as a part-time police officer for the city. Officer Heath Dienger has been accepted into the Minnesota State Patrol Academy, and officer Jim Logan is recovering from an injury and is on limited duty, making it necessary for the department to use more part-time officers to fill in the shifts.

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