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Council questions consultant fees, says city cannot be 'forced' to gain businesses
Summary
Hoyt Lakes councilors questioned payments to a regional consultant and whether the contract has produced measurable recruitment results, saying consultants can advise but cannot compel businesses to open. The council ended the discussion after debate.
Councilors spent the opening minutes of the meeting debating the value of a regional economic-development consultant retained through a joint powers board.
“You can’t force people to open a business. You have to have someone interested and then you can support them,” a council member said during a discussion of the joint powers arrangement and the North/Northband Group consultant hired to help recruit businesses. Members said the consultant is paid to identify prospects and advise the city, but cannot ‘‘do magic.’’
Several councilors questioned the annual fee and the consultant’s track record, noting the cities in the region pay roughly $15,000 per year and asking how many actual prospects the consultant had brought or meaningfully engaged for Hoyt Lakes. One councilor referenced three businesses discussed previously and a nearby Aurora industrial-park example as context for the question.
The debate centered on expectations: council members said they want Hoyt Lakes to attract new businesses and housing but emphasized that a consultant alone cannot guarantee relocation without a local entrepreneur or investor expressing interest. No new contract action was taken; the chair asked for a motion to close the item and the motion carried.
