Smithville EDC narrows priorities ahead of Aug. 6 work session; budget adds modest marketing line, staff weighs data subscription

The Smithville Economic Development Committee on July 24 discussed ways to boost marketing and attract development ahead of a joint work session with the Board of Aldermen scheduled for Aug. 6 at 5:30 p.m.

Staff said the draft FY25 budget (effective Nov. 1) will include a $3,000 marketing line. "In the draft budget, we've included a marketing budget of 3,000," staff reported, adding that the committee can request increases in future budget years if needed. Committee members emphasized the need to link marketing asks to concrete materials and metrics when presenting to the aldermen.

Committee members also discussed upgrading the committee's economic-data tools. Staff described meetings with Placer AI as providing "substantially more data" than the current vendor and recommended increasing the subscription from the current $5,000 to a total of $12,000 annually (an additional roughly $7,000) for geofencing and more granular visitor insights. A board member confirmed the math: "So about 7,000 is what we figure. So it's a total of 12,000 annually for Placer." The committee did not take a formal vote to adopt the subscription during the meeting; members discussed including the increase in draft budget materials for aldermanic review.

Members identified two or three priorities they want emphasized at the Aug. 6 work session: marketing (including airport advertising), a development packet and website materials, and identification of shovel‑ready commercial pads. On airport advertising, one member suggested placements that reach travelers and potential developers, citing the opportunity presented by a major upcoming soccer tournament. The committee discussed timing constraints—near-term growth may be muted by macroeconomic factors such as interest rates—but agreed the city should prepare marketing infrastructure now to capitalize when conditions improve.

Staff also said Matt from the University of Missouri Extension will present on workforce development in August and that staff is meeting with Rob Scarborough to analyze Airbnb stay data and distribute a "visit Smithville" brochure to short‑term rentals. "Every weekend, I believe, somewhere around 10, 12, maybe 14 Airbnbs," a member said when discussing short‑term rental impacts; staff said Rob would be able to provide more precise data.

On branding and promotional items, staff showed a simplified, one‑color logo mockup for internal employee water bottles and asked for feedback while saying the city would retain a family of marks for letterhead and official uses. Staff said more logo options would be brought back at the August meeting.

The committee agreed to prepare development and tourism packets that include demographics, traffic counts, workforce and utility data, major employers, and contact information for city staff so the Board of Aldermen can review specific proposals and funding requests. Staff said the city will go out to bid this winter for a website redesign (request for qualifications), and that aligning marketing and packet materials with the new site would improve outreach.

Votes at a glance: - Motion to approve May 22 minutes — voice vote: carried (ayes) (maker: unidentified); referenced during initial roll call and early agenda action. - Motion to adjourn — voice vote: carried (ayes) (maker: unidentified); meeting closed.

What happens next: The committee will refine two to three priorities and prepare presentation materials and development packets for the Aug. 6 joint work session, finalize details of the FY25 draft budget for aldermanic review, and continue staff meetings on Airbnb and visitor data for potential Placer AI subscription consideration.