SHELBY — Monday, the Village of Shelby gave approval to two resolutions related to their Redevelopment Ready Communities certification.
The new 2023 Training Strategy will meet training requirements needed for RRC certification. The goal would be for each council and planning commission member to attend six hours of training annually to expand their understanding of economic development incentives and how they work. Training would also increase understanding of their roles and provide opportunities to refresh their knowledge on critical topics such as Open Meetings Act, public hearings etc.
The newly adopted strategy states training can be taken from a number of sources and does not need to be strictly formal or traditional in nature. Both the council and planning commission are encouraged to “think outside the box” and utilize reputable blogs/news sites and member-to-member training as well as mentoring or tours as alternatives to traditional conferences, workshops or webinars.
Meeting agendas will now include a “Meetings/Training Attended” item, giving council members a chance to share with the rest of the council any training they have pursued or taken advantage of since the last meeting. “The thought behind ongoing training is that when redevelopment opportunities arise, the village is ready to pursue them,” village Administrator Brady Selner said.
Council approved a 2023 Zoning Application and Fee Schedule, also necessary for certification under RRC. Both documents will be undergoing a more thorough review and update before the next budget planning cycle, however, so as not to hold up RRC certification, Selner recommended approving them as they stand for now.
In addition to the future review of said documents, Selner told council, “Updating our employee handbook, village zoning and general law ordinances was an important first step to improving internal workflows. Once these projects are completed, we need to update the related forms, fees and other relevant documents followed by updating the village’s website to make the information easily accessible to residents and other stakeholders.”
Selner provided the council with construction updates for the many projects on the docket for 2023.
As of Monday, Hallack Contracting started work on Sessions Road, beginning the replacement of 11,500 linear feet of water main. Once Sessions Road is complete, crews are expected to move on to Hawley and Rankin streets, with a second crew starting on Second Street in order to finish in June and avoid the busier months of July and August for N. J. Fox and Sons. Apex Excavating plans to begin work in June with the replacement of 450 lead service lines connecting to these water mains.
The Getty Park renovation project is moving forward. With recent drawings reviewed and sealed and clearance received from the State Historic Preservation Office, Selner anticipates everything should be in place to let bids out by mid-July with construction to start sometime in August.
A variance request for three dimensional variances for an approximately 1,170 square-foot addition to the Wesco Convenience Store, will be considered at the next regularly-scheduled council meeting Monday, June 12, 2023.