Hollywood Park EDC approves administrative contract, forms committees and sends projects to committees

The Hollywood Park Economic Development Corporation on Thursday approved a proposed $10,000 annual administrative-services arrangement with the Town of Hollywood Park and took a series of votes to assign members to internal committees and to send several projects for committee study.

The board approved routine business including the minutes from its Nov. 14, 2024 meeting and the EDC financial statement for the period ending Oct. 31 and Nov. 30, 2024. The financial presentation reported two months of activity: an October cash balance of roughly $704,000 and net worth near $739,000, and a November cash balance near $722,000 and net worth near $758,000, driven mostly by sales taxes and interest earnings. Board members moved on several agenda items after the finance report.

The EDC voted to establish and staff three standing committees — Strategy & Operations, Business External Outreach and Intergovernmental Outreach — and to assign named members and alternates where nominations were made. The board additionally voted to remove one member from an intergovernmental assignment and to appoint a replacement after the removal vote passed. The board also referred a series of operational projects to committees for additional study and reporting back: a feasibility study and route mapping for golf-cart and pedestrian paths to connect Hollywood Park neighborhoods with nearby businesses; a strategy and operations review of branding, social media and promotional outreach; and a business outreach review of storefront signage and maintenance in shopping areas.

Other actions included a motion asking the mayor to provide preliminary plans and cost estimates for a possible 8–10-foot visual/noise barrier along commercial-residential property lines, and a vote to schedule a public training workshop on Open Meetings and related rules for EDC members and the public with the city attorney. Both motions were approved.

On the administrative-services item, the board agreed to forward a contract proposal for comprehensive administrative support from the town — covering secretarial services, meeting support, basic finance/bookkeeping and related office assistance — at a not-to-exceed figure of $10,000 per year to the city council for consideration. The proposed contract will return to the EDC for final approval if the City Council accepts the arrangement.

Votes at a glance - Approve meeting minutes (Nov. 14, 2024): motion approved. - Approve financial statement (Oct. 31–Nov. 30, 2024): motion approved. - Committee appointments: motions to nominate and appoint members to Strategy & Operations, Business External Outreach and Intergovernmental Outreach committees: motions carried (individual nominations recorded during the meeting; see actions array). - Removal of member from Intergovernmental Outreach committee: motion carried (recorded vote reported during meeting: three in favor, one opposed, two abstentions). - Appointment of replacement to Intergovernmental Outreach committee: motion carried. - Refer golf-cart/walking-path feasibility to Intergovernmental Outreach committee for mapping and initial feasibility work: motion carried. - Direct Strategy & Operations committee to review branding and social-media campaign options and to report back: motion carried (committee to scope recommended next steps). - Refer storefront signage/visual-maintenance research to Business External Outreach committee: motion carried. - Request mayor to provide preliminary plans and budget estimates for an 8–10 foot fence/noise-privacy barrier where commercial property abuts residential property: motion carried. - Schedule public training workshop on Open Meetings Act, ethics and related EDC procedures with the city attorney (proposed two-hour evening workshop, open to citizens): motion carried. - Forward proposed contract for city administrative support at $10,000/year to city council for approval: motion carried; subject to city-council review and EDC final sign-off.

Why it matters The administrative-services contract proposal clarifies how EDC intends to obtain routine operational and clerical support and folds those costs into an ongoing, transparent arrangement with the Town of Hollywood Park rather than an individual contract. Committee assignments and project referrals set the EDC’s work plan for the coming months, ticketing priorities such as promotion of local businesses, potential infrastructure to increase business access and community-facing training on transparency and meeting rules.

What was discussed in detail Members debated how committees should operate, including a standing guideline that committees be limited to two board members to minimize open-meetings risks and avoid triggering a quorum for informal gatherings. Board members discussed recruiting nonboard volunteers to serve on committees as working members, with EDC members acting as liaisons. The group discussed improving outreach and communications for business programs, including whether promotional items distributed last holiday season (Uber gift cards) should be extended to non–food and beverage businesses; no change was adopted on that program this meeting.

Members also reviewed the EDC’s recent holiday outreach — two Santa walk-throughs of local businesses and the distribution of Uber gift cards to restaurants during the holidays — and recorded feedback about timing and communication with businesses. The board discussed whether the EDC should republish or promote health-inspection ratings for food-service businesses in a community newsletter; the board heard arguments both for promoting positive results and for avoiding unintended harms from occasional poor inspection results. No motion to publish inspections was approved.

Next steps Committees were directed to return with maps, feasibility notes, budget estimates and recommended next steps on their assigned items. The proposed administrative-services contract will be forwarded to the Town of Hollywood Park City Council; if accepted by council, the contract will return to the EDC for final approval and execution. The city attorney will coordinate scheduling of the public training workshop and the city secretary will send a meeting notice and proposed dates.

Ending Board members closed the meeting after setting committee rosters and next steps and confirming the EDC’s next meeting date (reported on the record as Feb. 6).