T-R PHOTO BY ROBERT MAHARRY — Marshalltown Central Business District Executive Director Deb Millizer, left, and MCBD Board President Cindy Parks, right, addressed the city council during Monday night’s regular meeting.

The Marshalltown city council voted 6-1 to move forward with plans to allocate $95,000 in funding to allow the Marshalltown Central Business District (MCBD) to hire a shared events coordinator and provide additional resources to the organization during Monday night’s regular meeting.

MCBD Board President Cindy Parks took the podium to explain what the arrangement for the shared position with the Marshalltown Area Chamber of Commerce would look like, and the Chamber and the MCBD are also planning to share space at the newly renovated Hopkins building once it is prepared for move in within the next month or so. The two organizations, however, will not be merging.

If an agreement for the position cannot be reached, the $40,000, currently spread out over two years, will instead go toward new banners and wayfinding in the Central Business District.

“We believe the additional staff person translates into economic vitality by allowing (Executive Director) Deb (Millizer) and our volunteers to focus on the economic development part,” Parks said. “We expect Deb will take a big role in the downtown revitalization grant implementation.”

Beyond that $40,000, $45,000 would go toward operational funding along with $5,000 for staff training and development and $5,000 for rebranding efforts. All of the money would come from the Local Option Sales Tax (LOST) fund.

Parks touted Millizer’s efforts in promoting local business development through numerous initiatives, and the director then addressed the council herself, noting that she felt Marshalltown was on the cusp of “great things.” Millizer added, however, that similar sized communities often have two, three and four staff people working in the Main Street offices, while she has been a one-woman operation, other than interns, during her 3 ½ year tenure.

Along with the downtown revitalization grant, the MCBD was also selected to participate in a Main Street market analysis study, and the plan is to work with business owners and residents to assess what can be done to help current businesses.

“We are trying to move things forward, but just having one staff person, it’s very hard to have my hand in all of the pots. So I really could use some support staff,” Millizer said.

Councilor Gary Thompson was the first to ask a question, seeking clarification on what the council needed to do as they had previously discussed the matter late last year, and fellow Councilor Dex Walker had asked for a more concrete description of the plans at that time. The council, she explained, simply needed to “pull the trigger” on the funding.

During the public comment period, Mark Eaton wondered why there was a need for two separate lobby groups downtown in the MCBD and the Chamber and suggested that they should merge, despite Millizer’s earlier insistence to the contrary. Referencing an earlier discussion about putting a franchise fee back on the ballot, he argued it didn’t make sense.

“You want city staff to tighten their budget. You want city staff to take furlough days, but you want to give a nonprofit taxpayer money. I just don’t agree with this,” he said.

Millizer had a chance to respond and said the two organizations were “very different,” as the MCBD is exclusively focused on downtown, while the Chamber covers all of Marshall County.

A motion from Councilor Mike Ladehoff to move forward with funding the agreement carried 6-1, with Al Hoop opposing.

In other business, the council:

• Presented MPD Lt. Tricia Thein with a 20-year service award and MFD Lt. Nick Hanus with a 15-year service award.

• Presented the MPD Employee of the Year Award to Officer Adan Ortiz Diaz.

• Presented the APWA Project of the Year Award to the city, Fox Strand and Con-Struct for the South First Street parking lot stormwater improvements.

• Approved the consent agenda as listed.

• Approved an outdoor service amendment for The 918 for a Blessing of the Bikes event on June 4.

• Approved an amendment to the American Legion Golf Course lease to allow for the connection of the trail running behind Wayward Social and crossing the 6th Street Bridge to the trailhead.

• Adopted an FY2023 budget amendment after a public hearing.

• Approved the second reading of an ordinance to amend the code by repealing Chapter 91 on fire prevention and protection and adopting a new Chapter 91 which adopts, by reference, the 2021 international fire code with certain amendments.

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Contact Robert Maharry

at 641-753-6611 ext. 255 or

rmaharry@timesrepublican.com.