City of Rockford proposes new contract with RAEDC, $100K less than previous agreement
ROCKFORD (WREX) — The City of Rockford has released a proposed contract with the Rockford Area Economic Development Council, and it’s for $100,000 less than the previous contract.
According to a memo dated March 20, 2019 by City Administrator Todd Cagnoni, the city is seeking a new agreement with the RAEDC, with a proposed annual budget of $100,000 for calendar year 2019 and 2020.
The difference compared to the most previous agreement is $100,000. In the 2017 and 2018 contract, the city agreed to pay $150,000 per year.
Besides the dollar amount, the proposed contract appears to require more oversight by the city. The 2019-20 draft requests that city staff and RAEDC officials meet six times per year, versus quarterly meetings like the previous agreement requires. Additionally, the RAEDC would meet with the mayor or city administrator once per month to discuss overall market activity within the greater region. Finally, the RAEDC would report to Rockford’s City Council through the planning and development committee annually.
Similarly to previous contracts, the city would still get to appoint two aldermen to serve on the RAEDC Board of Directors as ex-officio non-voting members.
This is the first negotiated contract since former RAEDC Vice President of Operations Leilani Hillis pleaded guilty to federal fraud charges. According to a criminal complaint, Hillis used the RAEDC’s credit card to make more than $600,000 in unauthorized purchases for her own benefit. Hillis concealed the crime by using the organization’s accounting codes to make it appear the purchases were for RAEDC, and she forged the initials of RAEDC’s president on expense reports.
According to previous interviews with Mayor Tom McNamara concerning a new contract with RAEDC, the $100,000 investment still makes the city, along with Winnebago County, the lead investor in the economic council. The council is charged with spurring economic growth, attracting new business and talent to the area, and supporting regional municipalities with vision, strategies and economic goals.
13 News has reached out to city officials, who say they are not commenting on the proposal for 2 more weeks. The proposal will have to be voted on by Rockford’s City Council. The previous contract was approved by all but three members, including Ald. Venita Hervey, Ald. Linda McNeely and then-Ald. Tina Newburg.
13 News has also reached out to RAEDC’s Executive Director Nathan Bryant. Calls for comment have not been returned as of Tuesday afternoon.
Above is from: https://wrex.com/category/2019/03/26/city-of-rockford-proposes-new-contract-with-raedc-100k-less-than-previous-agreement/
