21 JULY 2020 DEARBORN COUNTY COMMISSIONERS MEETING NOTES
meeting was available VIA Bridge Conference Call / 812-496-0136 Conference ID #848832)
Present: Jim Thatcher, President, Art Little, and Rick Probst
Also present: Connie Fromhold, Auditor, Andy Baudendistel, Attorney, and Sue Hayden, Administrator
TITLE VI STATEMENT FOR COMPLIANCE was read by Baudendistel as legally required.
OLD BUSINESS
NEW BUSINESS
Public Hearing - Revolving Loan Fund through COVID 19 Phase 2 Grant Program- Mike Perleberg presenting for Eric Krantz- Perleberg said all credit goes to Krantz and SEIRDC and Chamber Foundation for getting this done. This is for a Phase 2 grant. A lack of a revolving loan fund was seen as a deficiency for the county. July 31st is deadline for loan applications.
This is county wide for cities towns and the unincorporated area. They are beginning to get the 20% local match ($50,000) for this.
Probst asked if this was administered by the foundation. Perleberg said Yes. The Foundation takes care of screening etc. This is for businesses that cannot get funding in more traditional ways. There is a little more leeway in this process.These are loans up to $25,000 at 2% interest. August 27th is the award announcement per OCRA website. Commissioners approved.
The selection committee is below in the scope of work.
Below is the paperwork showing more details on this:
Dearborn County Revolving Loan Fund Scope of Work
Project Statement
Dearborn County has for years lacked a structured and sustained method for assisting local employers in times of need. In years past, businesses throughout Southeast Indiana have relied on the generosity of Lawrenceburg and the revenue they receive from gaming to sustain them in times of crisis. During the Great Recession and beyond the city provided assistance throughout the immediate ten county region which mitigated the urgency for establishing a sustainable program that would be there for businesses when they needed it. The pandemic of 2020 has put highlighted this deficiency. As businesses in the area are trying to continue operations, maintain payroll and meet the demands of their customers there are few local resources to assist them. This project intends to alleviate that problem.
Dearborn County in partnership with the Southeast Indiana Chamber Foundation and a wide collection of local stakeholders (see Regional Partner’s list p.3) will be establishing a countywide Revolving Loan Fund with the assistance of the COVID-19 Phase 2 grant. Dearborn County and the SICF will also be seeking to secure local matching funds in the amount of $50,000 for a total initial RLF loanable balance of $300,000. Applicants will be chosen by a seven person loan approval committee consisting of a diverse group of community leaders (see loan committee list on p. 3). Approval will be based on need as a result of negative effects from the COVID-19 pandemic, the expected positive impact of the loan on both the business and the community, the number of jobs created and saved in addition to other factors as determined by the committee including the disadvantaged status of the business (Minority, Women and/or Veteran Owned). The max loan amount will be $25,000 per business with terms not to exceed five years and 2% interest. Any business operating in Dearborn County will be eligible, with the focus being on businesses that do not have access to other local loan programs.
The loan committee will follow the process outlined by OCRA and PCRD in the Hometown Business Preservation Initiative. All applicants will be required to meet with a representative from the ISBDC in order to properly prepare for their application and to establish a continuing relationship with the local small business advisor. All successful applicants will be required to meet quarterly with the ISBDC in order to gauge progress and mitigate potential issues. The goal is to help the loan recipients be successful long term, not simply survive the consequences of the pandemic.
Project Need
The Dearborn County economy relies heavily on recreation, tourism and hospitality both as an employer and a revenue generator. Businesses like Hollywood Casino and Perfect North Slopes employ hundreds of local residents and act as destinations for the entire Cincinnati MSA. Hotels in Dearborn County rely heavily on travelers coming in through the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky Airport and on international visitors to the nearby Creation Museum. All of these businesses were forced to shut down as a result of the pandemic. This resulted in not only a direct loss of jobs but a massive reduction in economic activity throughout Dearborn County as the number of visitors dwindled to near nil and remains low today. We anticipate this reduction in demand to continue throughout much of the next 18 months at minimum.
At present, there is no local or regional program in place to support Dearborn County businesses directly with financial assistance. The City of Lawrenceburg did provide a small grant to each business within the city limits, however thus far no local financial assistance has been realized for our employers outside of Lawrenceburg. For a number of reasons Dearborn County did not join most counties in the rest of the state in creating an RLF in the wake of the Great Recession and we are looking to address that in 2020.
Employment Stats End of April 2020
- LMI - 38.25%
- Unemployment – 18.4%
- Weekly unemployment claims – 4,457
- Leisure & Hospitality Region 9 Employment Change (year over year) - 61%
- Per capita income - $29,891
- Labor Force Participation % for the population over 16 – 65.8%
- % of age 25 and over with some or no college – 69.4%
Financial Impact
Our goal is to create a revolving loan fund in excess of $300,000 that will be used to assist Dearborn County businesses as they deal with the repercussions of the pandemic and global economic shutdown. We anticipate that the loans made through this program will save and create hundreds of jobs locally at a time when the county is dealing with historic high levels of unemployment. The nature of these loans (max $25,000) also means we anticipate they will be used as part of larger investments. The Dearborn County RLF will be used as a portion of a broader financial package that will help companies maintain and grow through turbulent times. A RLF of this size will result in millions of dollars of capital investment locally.
Dearborn County is a major employer for residents throughout the region particularly Ohio, Switzerland, Franklin and Ripley counties. By supporting a strong economic environment through direct financial assistance the Dearborn County RLF will maintain jobs and fuel growth through the Southeast Indiana region and the Cincinnati MSA.
The Dearborn County RLF will also serve to take some of the financial strain off of the County and smaller local municipalities who are doing everything they can to support their local economies. This program will help them help local employers and their residents without demanding outflows from budgets that are already under strain. As stated above, Dearborn County is heavily reliant on hospitality taxes to bolster its financial situation, and those revenues have been decimated by the pandemic.
Administration
The primary administrator of the Dearborn County RLF will be the Southeast Indiana Chamber Foundation, a 501c3 sister organization of the Dearborn County Chamber of Commerce. The ISBDC will act as technical advisor to all applicants. Miller Flannery Law will act as legal counsel to the RLF. The process will adhere closely to that outlined by OCRA and PCRD in the HBPI (SICF representatives participated in the HBPI webinars).
Goals/Expected Outcomes
The goal of the RLF is the create a sustainable program that can assist local businesses in times of need. SICF will be judging the success of each grant based on the number of jobs created and saved, average wage of those jobs, total capital investment made by loan recipients and overall intangible impact on the quality of the community as a result of the companies sustained operations.
Timeline
June 24th: Grant Proposal Submitted
July 1st: Public awareness/crowd funding campaign (for matching funds) begins
July 1st: Secure matching commitments from local partners
July 13th: Public meeting
July 31st: Submit final grant application
August 28th: Open the RLF application process to the public
September 28th: Committee review first wave of RLF applications
October 5th: Award initial loans
Loan Committee
- E.G. McLaughlin (Civista Bank)
- Karen Snyder (United Way)
- Terri Randall (One Dearborn)
- Steve VanWassenhove (entrepreneur/restauranteur)
- Paul Fox (P&G Executive, retired)
- Mark Graver (Ivy Tech)
- Jim Thatcher (Dearborn County Commissioner)
Regional Partners
- Dearborn County
- Southeast Indiana Chamber Foundation
- Aurora Main Street
- Dillsboro Main Street
- Bright Area Business Association
- Dearborn Community Foundation
- Dearborn County Chamber of Commerce
- Southeast Indiana Port Authority
- Dearborn/Ohio County United Way
- Ivy Tech
Glossary
- SICF – Southeast Indiana Chamber Foundation
- ISBDC – Indiana Small Business Development Center
- RLF – Revolving Loan Fund
- OCRA – Office of Community and Rural Affairs
- OD – One Dearborn (Dearborn County economic development organization
- PCRD – Purdue Center for Rural Development
ADMINISTRATOR – Sue Hayden- All Saints Paris- St Martin’s Campus wanted to close Yorkridge on July 26th at 9:30 AM from the church to ChapelThorne subdivision and back. Sheriff agreed and they will monitor safety. About 100 runners. They will observe social distancing etc. Approved.
AUDITOR – Connie Fromhold -Claims/Payroll and July 7th Minutes approved
Heath Dept Grant Approval - Preparedness and PPEs- Fromhold $47,078 is the grant in case wave of COVID returns- Approved and signed.
FYI per Sue Hayden- county has 15,000 masks and health dept has over 10,000.
ATTORNEY – Baudendistel- Dr Eliason requires masks for all entrants to the county buildings. There is more testing and they are seeing more cases so they are doing this to prevent the spread of the virus. Also workers have to when dealing with the public. Approved the Proclamation.
Andy Baudendistel- 2 Temporary ROW Agreements for One Mile Road with
Brad and Timothy Knigga- $383.50 and Brian and Dianne Hoffman- $711.75 for a period of 5 years. It won’t take 5 years but that’s what they are for. Approved. Listerman will get them recorded and pay the property owners. Baudendistel noted that he is related to Hoffman’s and his mother is a Knigga.
Baudendistel suggested Aug 4 at 10 AM for the vicious dog determination hearing. Approved.
Baudendistel- Reopening Stage 4.5 still for Indiana. People of 250 or more require approval from Health Dept.
Todd Listerman- Highway Engineer- Hoping to have One Mile done before Christmas.
Also agreement with INDOT for 80% Harrison Brockville and Johnson Fork Rd Bridge#108 total $100,940 ( $80,752) - Approved and signed.
COMMISSIONER COMMENTS
Probst- reminded that its still COVID here and he tested negative at 1:30 on Saturday- But that does not predict what he is at 2 PM or later. Stay vigilant.
Little- He loans out stuff and e cleans it all with Clorox
Thatcher - 1365 tests run since July 7- running up to 200 tests per day. Thinks it is due to employers requesting more tests. He’s really confident in the Health Dept. He said we are being careful as we are right next to Hamilton County.
LATE ARRIVAL INFORMATION- none
PUBLIC COMMENT- none
ADJOURN- 5:32 PM
Christine Brauer Mueller
Lawrenceburg Township
