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CRA board discusses new Main Street contract; staff and board seek measurable deliverables and fundraising incentives
Summary
City and CRA members discussed a proposed contract with Lake Wales Main Street that would make the nonprofit autonomous, provide roughly $150,000 in support (salary/benefits plus $50,000), and include deliverables, annual reporting and potential incentive/matching structures; no formal action was taken.
The City of Lake Wales Community Redevelopment Agency board held an extended discussion of a proposed contract for services with Lake Wales Main Street, focusing on accountability, allowable uses of CRA funds, measurable deliverables and fundraising expectations. The item was presented as a discussion; the board did not take formal action and asked staff and Main Street to return with revisions.
Ronnie Wood, executive director of Lake Wales Main Street, described recent accreditation results and the program's responsibilities under the Florida Main Street network. Wood said the program had received an annual evaluation score of 98 out of a possible 116 and that the organization had completed its required annual certification with the state. "You have to have figures to really show what the program is all about," Wood said as she explained the accreditation and reporting framework.
Board members, led by Chair Gibson, emphasized legal limits on CRA expenditures and the need for grants and programs to align with the Community Redevelopment Act and related guidance from the Florida Auditor General and Attorney General. "Use of community redevelopment funds would be so limited that the expenditure of funds for promotion of a redeveloped area would be prohibited," Chair Gibson said while clarifying that promotional spending can follow redevelopment and that facade grants and building rehabilitation are typical CRA-eligible activities.
Staff and Main Street staff outlined the proposed contract terms: Main Street would be an independent nonprofit with its own executive director; previously the director's salary and benefits were paid through CRA personnel arrangements, but moving forward the CRA would fund the director's salary and a $50,000 annual program allocation, resulting in roughly $150,000 in total annual support when salary/benefits are included. Ronnie Wood said Main Street's current reserves include "a little over $100,000" in money market accounts, CDs and checking; staff provided a year-to-year breakdown showing last year's revenue at about $105,000 and expenses around $94,000.
Several commissioners asked for concrete, measurable deliverables to attach to the contract or an exhibit. Commissioners proposed quarterly site-visit counts, fundraising targets for the Main Street board, and reinvestment statistics similar to those Main Street reports to the state (private and public investment totals, new businesses, net job creation, vacancy rates, housing created, volunteer hours). Board members suggested incentive and matching structures to encourage private fundraising: "Let's use that word. Encourage boards to get out and get active," one commissioner said.
Staff recommended adding a required annual cumulative report in July tied to the budget process and proposed making the initial contract 18 months rather than 12 to give a newly hired director time to establish program operations before funding becomes contingent on performance. Staff also noted a clause requested by Main Street allowing termination with cause on 30 days' notice; the city attorney will review that language for consistency with other city agreements.
The board discussed program elements that would be eligible for CRA funding, including support for a historic restoration facade grant program, grants to redevelop underutilized upper-floor space and a proposed historic downtown new business grant program (examples included sign matching, interior renovations, exterior lighting and sidewalk cafe infrastructure). Wood noted that direct expenses for special events and fundraising activities are not eligible under the proposed CRA-funded agreement and would remain ineligible per the agreement's note.
Board members asked staff and Main Street to return with: clarified, measurable quarterly deliverables (including a site-visit target), a fundraising target the Main Street board would commit to raising annually, a proposed 18-month agreement term for this first contract cycle, and clearer documentation on Main Street reserves and a plan for their use. Staff said they would continue discussions with Main Street and bring a revised agreement back for further board review before formal action.
