Responses provided by Kelsee Jordan Lee, Economic and Business Development Manager:
Questions from Council Member Baker:
Will this also be available for farmers and ranchers, or other non-traditional businesses?
As currently proposed, any business that meets the requirements of the policy will be considered.
Will there be active recruitment and assistance with the applications? Some of the requirements sound tough to prove so they might deter people from applying unless we have people there to help remove barriers.
Staff will continue to work with businesses who have questions regarding incentive applications. Staff will work with the Communications team on an outreach plan should City Council give direction to continue with establishing this program. This could be done through phone calls, direct mail, email, and working with partners such as the Chamber of Commerce, Greater San Marcos Partnership, and local community organizations to help spread awareness.
When will this information be translated into Spanish, and what is the plan to engage those businesses with this program?
Reviewing documents such as these were a consideration for the addition of a Translation Specialist in the FY 2021-22 approved budget. Staff will work with the City Manager’s Office and Communications to determine which documents will be translated and services provided by this new position.
Why 20 years and not 15 or 10? I see that there is a way for those with less than 20 years to apply, what do we assume the acceptance rate for that would be?
The subcommittee discussed eligibility requirements and arrived at a baseline of 20 years after review of the City of San Antonio’s Legacy Business Program. This was incorporated as a best practice based on that policy, but City Council could select a different year if they felt a different longevity requirement is more appropriate.
Looking at the total number of businesses that might be eligible for these programs, what level of participation would we use to consider this program a success?
Currently, there is not a City database with the age of businesses. Staff has initiated the procurement process for a CRM software to tracking this information and will be better able to answer this questions after procurement is complete and the software has been implemented. Eligible businesses by age will be contacted and made aware of the program.
What are the financial options we are willing to offer up?
The potential financial incentives could be a Chapter 380 tax rebate or jobs-based grant or infrastructure assistance.