Economic Vitality Committee Agenda and Packet 2025 07 24

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City Council Economic Vitality Committee Meeting Minutes June 12, 2025 Page3of6 emphasized that the EVC is a group of policymakers and needs to gather information in order to inform their decisions. City Manager Langley wondered how the survey could capture information from businesses or individuals that may not currently be in Louisville, but have considered Louisville at one point and ultimately decided against Louisville. Mayor Leh noted that there is an existing question asking whether respondents would recommend Louisville as a place to do business. He commented that this may not fulfill City Manager Langley's request but it may lead to further discussion in that area. Manager Zarate wondered if adding a section for brokers could potentially fill this gap, by either filling out the survey themselves or forwarding it to their clients who did not choose Louisville. Councilmember Kern asked if members of surrounding communities might be interested in filling out the survey. Manager Zarate responded that she can send the survey to her EV counterparts in the area, but cautioned that the other communities may not be as diligent in pushing the survey out in their own community. Mayor Leh asked whether the Committee would like to run through the survey itself and comment on the existing questions. Councilmember Kern noted that she would like to remove the questions relating to COVID and the Marshall Fire. Mayor Leh wondered if there could still be a question regarding any lingering effects. Manager Zarate responded that many business owners have indicated that there are still lingering effects and confirmed that she will change the question to be more general. Councilmember Kern commented that it's already known that businesses are struggling from lingering effects, and wondered if it would be possible to figure out more of the "how" or "why" with a goal of identifying a solution. Mayor Leh cautioned against having the "business friendly" question at number one, and stated that he would prefer to ask what about Louisville is "recommendable" rather than whether or not someone would recommend Louisville. He also wondered whether childcare or housing could be captured somewhere in the survey. Mayor Leh continued, asking whether there's a way to identify why businesses choose to stay in Louisville or expand in Louisville. He added that this question could also be expanded to include barriers. Councilmember Fahey agreed and added that she would like to see comments lines added for several questions. City Manager Langley commented that, in her experience, the longer a survey is the less likely someone is to complete it. She asked if it might be more helpful for the Committee to identify a couple of key questions for staff to work on. Manager Zarate responded that past participation seems to have been good, but agreed that staff can explore options of removing questions and otherwise slimming down the survey.