Summary of JEDO Board Meeting Minutes – September 11, 2002

 

Summary of JEDO Board Meeting Minutes – September 11, 2002

This is the official record of a Joint Economic Development Organization (JEDO) Board meeting held on Wednesday, September 11, 2002, at 3:00 p.m. in the Greater Topeka Chamber of Commerce Board Room. It was an early operational meeting of JEDO, which had been formally created by the November 2001 Interlocal Agreement we reviewed earlier (the one that established the ¼-cent sales-tax funding mechanism).

Key attendees (voting members):

  • Shawnee County Commissioners: Vic Miller (Chair), Ted Ensley, Marice Kane.
  • City of Topeka: Mayor Butch Felker (by speakerphone), Council members Betty Dunn, Gary Price, Harold Lane, John Alcala, Lisa Stubbs.
  • GO Topeka / Greater Topeka Chamber representatives: Doug Kinsinger (Executive Director), Kris A. Robbins, Mark Wittenburg, Dr. Jerry Farley, and others (Jo Bellman, Tony Augusto, etc.).

Main agenda items:

  1. Approved minutes from the previous meeting (May 22, 2002).
  2. Contract performance report from GO Topeka (Doug Kinsinger presented benchmarks via PowerPoint).
  3. Market Plan Update from consultants Frye Allen Inc. and Callahan Creek — they presented the new Greater Topeka Chamber logo and the slogan “Today. Tomorrow. Topeka.” (created as part of the sales-tax extension campaign).
  4. Financial report from Brad Owen (cash-basis activity for the JEDO grant).
  5. Budget amendment approved unanimously so GO Topeka could exercise land options on industrial-park property (207 acres between 49th and 57th Streets; ~141 acres already deeded to Target, with additional parcels under option).
  6. Update on congressional efforts for federal funding (Topeka Boulevard Bridge, Forbes Field, Commerce Park infrastructure, etc.).
  7. Planning for an inter-city visit to Springfield, Missouri (Sept. 26–27, 2002) with 46 participants (elected officials + business leaders) to study best practices.

The meeting was adjourned after the Springfield trip discussion.

Vic Miller’s Comments (highlighted as requested)

Vic Miller, Shawnee County Commissioner and JEDO Chair, made the following notable remarks during the meeting:

  • In Item No. 2 (GO Topeka contract performance):

    “Commissioner Miller asked the members of the Board to review the contract with GO Topeka because they would be considering renewal in the near term. Speaking for himself, Commissioner Miller said he could not be happier with their performance.”

This is his most substantive comment on the record. He was pushing the board to begin the process of renewing/extending GO Topeka’s contract while publicly praising their work.

He also briefly noted Dean Ferrell’s absence during the Springfield trip discussion (Item No. 7) and presided over the entire meeting as Chair (signing the minutes at the end).

Context on Vic Miller: At this time he was one of the three Shawnee County Commissioners and served as the first rotating Chair of the newly created JEDO board (per the 2001 Interlocal Agreement). He played a central role in establishing the sales-tax-funded economic development structure. The minutes here show him actively supporting GO Topeka’s performance and land-acquisition efforts for industrial development.

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