[Adopted 9-14-1998 by Ord. No. 389 (Ch. 2, Art. III, Div. 7, of the 1990 Code)]
A. 
There is hereby established the Augusta Development Commission to consist of 11 persons, including the Mayor, a member of the Council to be designated by Council, and the City Manager. The eight additional members of the Commission shall be nominated by the Mayor and confirmed by the City Council. For purposes of initial Commission membership, Council members shall submit as many as five recommended nominations to the Mayor for consideration for appointment. Thereafter, Council members shall submit one name to the Mayor for consideration for appointment for each subsequent vacancy.
B. 
Commission members, excluding the Mayor, City Council members and City Manager, shall be appointed for staggered three-year terms. Appointments to the initial Commission for the eight positions that exclude the Mayor, City Council members and the City Manager shall be three for three-year terms, three for two-year terms, and two for one-year terms. Of the eight Commission members, six shall at all times be residents of the City of Augusta. Membership by the Mayor, City Council members and City Manager shall conclude when their term of office concludes.
C. 
The Commission shall meet monthly.
D. 
The City Manager shall report at least monthly to the City Council on the activities and status of the Commission and its projects. The Commission shall prepare and present an annual report, with appropriate recommendations, to the full City Council. This report shall be timed to coincide with the start of calendar year and made available to the City Council by February 1 of each year, so as to provide necessary information in a timely manner during the early stages of the annual City budget process. Information to be provided in each such annual report shall include, at a minimum, an update of the development activities and accomplishments of the year just completed and the Commission's recommendations for development project and program priorities for the year upcoming.
The purpose of the Commission shall be to promote the overall economic development of the City, including but not limited to assisting in the recruitment or retention of industries and commercial establishments for the City and to advise the City Council on economic development policy. The Commission shall recommend to the City Council a proposed annual budget to cover its expenses. Said Commission from time to time shall recommend to the City Council plans for strengthening or increasing the tax base and the industrial, commercial and employment growth of the City.
The Commission, using the services of City-funded staff and other volunteer resources as may become available, shall initiate and maintain an aggressive economic development program for the City. As an instrumentality established by the City Council and assigned to conduct the public's business for the City, the Commission shall ensure that it complies with appropriate "right to know" and Freedom of Information Act requirements. Generally, all business of the Commission will be conducted in the open "sunshine" required by these laws and regulations, except that executive sessions may be employed in accordance with public law to protect sensitive business information, contractual negotiations and real estate transactions.
The City's Office of Economic Development shall staff the Commission. The Director of the City's Office of Economic Development and his or her staff shall report to the City of Augusta. The Economic Development Director will be accountable to the City Manager and/or the Director of City Services. The Director's salary will be established by the personnel policies of the City.
The City shall continue to furnish the financial resources necessary for the Commission and Department of Economic Development to pursue its mission. The City Council shall annually receive the summary report of the Development Commission and consider any budgetary implications of that report, which is to be received by the Council by February 1 of each year.
The Commission shall cooperate and assist whenever practicable with other agencies and organizations interested in the stimulation of business development in the Augusta area. Additionally, the City Manager shall ensure an effective working relationship with the Maine Department of Economic and Community Development, the Maine State Planning Office,[1] Maine & Company, Maine Development Foundation, Small Business Administration, Economic Development Administration, Finance Authority of Maine and any other institutional resource that operates in the State of Maine, and such local organizations as the Heart of Augusta Team and the Augusta Board of Trade, Kennebec Valley Chamber of Commerce, Kennebec Regional Development Authority and which can contribute to the development efforts of the Augusta Development Commission. Any existing City government relationships and/or working arrangements with other organizations that may conflict with this article shall be modified or discontinued so as to be fully consistent with this article.
[1]
Editor's Note: The State Planning Office was abolished by L. 2011, c. 655, § CC-3, effective 7-1-2012. See now the Governor's Office of Policy and Management.