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Candidates propose grants, fee waivers and permitting tech to help Mason small businesses
Summary
At the candidate forum, candidates highlighted workforce shortages and regulatory complexity as top business concerns and proposed targeted grants, permit-fee relief, TIF tools and streamlined permitting to help small businesses.
Candidates at the Mason City Council forum said workforce shortages and regulatory complexity are among the biggest obstacles for local small businesses and described several ways council and city staff can respond.
The forum opened with the Mason Chamber's 2025 business survey, which the moderator said showed 72% of respondents identified workforce shortages as a major concern, 65% sought improved access to funding, 58% cited regulatory complexity and 54% wanted stronger government-business collaboration.
Candidates proposed a mix of budget priorities and programs to address those concerns: targeted low-interest loans or grants, fee waivers for permits, storefront-improvement matching programs and performance-based abatements. Incumbent Tony Bradburn and others also pointed to tax-increment financing (TIF) and payment-in-lieu-of-taxes arrangements as tools municipalities use to support development; Bradburn described TIF as "a very useful tool for the city to use." Several candidates emphasized that council's role is legislative — to set policy and budget priorities — while day-to-day program delivery rests with the city manager and staff.
On permitting and regulatory simplification, incumbent Barbara Spathe pointed to recent technology and guidance the city has deployed. "The city recently launched it's called OpenGov and it streamlines the city's application and permitting process," Spathe said, describing the platform as intended to improve application accessibility and status communication. Candidates proposed further streamlining: creating a one-stop permitting shop, fast-tracking low-risk projects, and improving communication so small business owners can navigate processes without excessive delay.
Incumbent Mark Hackie described a new agreement with the Warren County Small Business Development Center as a resource for entrepreneurs. "Mike Stater with the SBDC, the Small Business Development Center, is a huge part of that," Hackie said, pointing to business counseling and assistance with grants and plans. Candidates also noted recent private-sector grant programs — for example, Duke Energy grants — and urged the city to help local firms access such funds.
Several candidates warned that process complexity can itself be a barrier. Candidate Gina Sanders said incentives and technical help are important but added that the city should make programs easy to access for owners who are already stretched thin running operations. Several candidates suggested targeted workforce-development programs tied to employer needs, citing the chamber's survey that identified labor as a top issue.
The forum made clear that while council can set incentives and budget priorities, implementation and most operational assistance will come from staff, CDC partners and county programs. Candidates urged closer collaboration between those entities and clearer outreach to small businesses about available resources.
