By BECKY KISER
Hays Post
The remainder of the economic development fund in the 2019 city of Hays budget will go to Grow Hays.
City commissioners Thursday night voted unanimously to allocate the remaining $42,500 to the Grow Hays, formerly known as the Ellis County Coalition for Economic Development.
The commission decided last week to not renew the city’s contract with outside business recruiter Retail Strategies for a third year at a cost of $45,000. Mayor Henry Schwaller said the city had already gotten the information it needed and the group had not recruited any new businesses to Hays.
At Vice-Mayor Sean Musil’s suggestion, the commission showed its intention last Thursday to turn the 2019 money over to Grow Hays plus the total economic development budget of $87,500 in 2020.
The total would be $130,000 to Grow Hays over the 2019/2020 budget cycle. Executive Director Doug Williams had requested $100,000 from the city in its 2020 budget, the first such request in two years.
Last night, Musil admitted he had considered voting against the motion to award the 2019 monies to Grow Hays.
“I’m absolutely for economic development and always have been. I think we need to step on the pedal and I think other people in the community need to also.
“I was a little taken aback at the total we’re going to give them for the next year and a half,” Musil acknowledged. “Since I’ve been on here [city commission] we’ve had many conversations with this group.
“But this group has totally changed to what the city has asked and I truly think with Doug running the operation, they’re doing a great job,” Musil said.
Williams was hired in October 2018 as executive director of Grow Hays, after serving as interim director for six months.
Musil talked about attending a couple of the Pitch It sessions Grow Hays has recently hosted.
“They’re phenomenal. They have people from the community that have businesses in their garage or basement come in and tell what they have, and they’re rewarded with money to help them grow. I know the first one that won [Chroma Quilting] has a storefront now. That says a lot to me about Grow Hays.”
Musil also mentioned plans for a travel plaza to be built by a developer at Interstate 70 Exit 157 in Hays. “Hopefully, something soon is gonna happen.” He acknowledged the work of Toby Dougherty, city manager, on the project proposal.
Commissioner Eber Phelps thinks the time is right to “get aggressive about recruiting larger employers.”
“There’s been kind of an uncertainty out there the last few years where you didn’t see a lot of companies expanding or relocating,” Phelps said. “We’ve got a lot of good things going on in this area. I think it’s imperative right now that we have a strong economic development effort.
“I think the new director Doug Williams laid it on the line when he said ‘you either want to grow some business here or you don’t.’ I’m hoping we’re gonna answer that call.”
“Collaboration is really necessary,” pointed out Commissioner Sandy Jacobs, “and I know that Doug, and the city and the county are working together on a lot of these projects. Nobody is going to go out there and kill it on their own.”
Following the discussion and vote, the commission set a public hearing date of August 8, 2019 for the 2020 budget with the associated mill levy remaining at 25.000. Grow Hays would get the total economic development budget of $87,500.
Mayor Henry Schwaller was absent from the meeting.