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Commissioner proposes three-year Retail Strategies contract to boost retail recruitment; EDAC supports proposal
Summary
Commissioner David Carpenter recommended a three-year, $50,000-per-year engagement with a retail-recruitment consultant to help fill storefront vacancies and capture sales-tax leakage.
Commissioner David Carpenter (listed in the transcript as Commissioner Carpenter) summarized a recent Economic Development Advisory Committee discussion and recommended a professional recruitment contract with a retail-recruitment firm (Retail Strategies). Carpenter and committee members said the firm's services would help the town address sales-tax leakage and storefront vacancies by creating a retail inventory, contacting space owners and courting regional and national retailers.
Why it matters: Nolensville leaders said the town needs additional retail that generates sales taxes to support municipal services. The firm's approach is to market the town to prospective retailers, advise on retail demand and provide outreach to property owners and developers.
Proposal details and committee support Carpenter said the firm proposed a $50,000-per-year engagement and requested a three-year commitment; the vendor described the contract as year-to-year with a 60-day termination clause. EDAC supported recommending the partnership to the board, and the board discussed potential funding sources such as the small amount of freeboard in the operating budget or treating the arrangement as a capital or multi-year expense included in the CIP process.
Board questions and issues raised Commissioners asked whether the firm would work with local businesses and developers (the presenter said yes), whether the firm would pursue retailers that require sewer capacity (the vendor indicated recruitment and long-term prospecting might take multiple years), and whether $50,000 is justified by the number of vacancies present. Commissioners asked staff to identify a funding source and whether the proposal could be part of a budget amendment or CIP allocation.
Next steps Carpenter and EDAC asked staff to include the item in CIP/budget discussions so the board could decide whether to fund the three-year engagement. Commissioner Carpenter said he had already discussed budget mechanics with staff and that the town might use available freeboard in the operating budget to fund an initial term.
Ending No contract was approved at the work session; commissioners asked staff to identify a funding mechanism and said they would discuss the item further during the upcoming CIP/budget process.
