The full Aubrey City Council and Municipal Development District board sat together Tuesday evening to compare notes on their goals for Aubrey's future.
Executive Director Christine Gossett and President Holly Drew told the council the board wants to align its goals and approach to overlap with those of the council and staff.
'Lots of things we can do with the MDD funds,' Gossett said. 'Some of those things, again, will take some planning in advance and some commitment of budget.'
The MDD board and staff mentioned possibly changing the required amount for which the board must get approval from council from more than $10,000 to $30,000 in the grant program 'as long as they fit within the statute and they don't fall within a certain statute that will always require public hearings and council readings,' Gossett said.
Council member Erin Allen confirmed that there is a line-item cap for the annual amount the MDD can distribute in grants, which was correct.
Gossett also provided a brief overview of the types of projects an MDD is allowed to fund with input from the board and its attorney.
The board and council members perked up when recreation facilities came up as a possible project that can be funded with MDD money.
The MDD can also contribute funding to a targeted area for infrastructure projects that could draw sales-tax generating businesses.
Brooks Stoy brought up the arena in Graham as a type of facility that could create quite a draw for Aubrey.
Mayor Chris Rich spoke about a two-story building he would want to see at the corner of Main Street where the Aubrey Area Museum sits.
He added that such plans would also need to provide a guaranteed home for the museum, which the board and council agreed needs to happen to help retain the history of the community with the city shoring up the museum's resources to ensure it continues.
'There's going to be a transition in the future as we start moving municipal facilities out of downtown and reallocating it to commercial use,' Rich said.
City Manager Charles Kreidler estimated that 3540% of downtown is cityowned.
'While that's a challenge now, that's a positive later,' he said.
He also spoke of wanting to have an overlay district to 'keep our heritage downtown' as it changes.
Drew spoke of Roanoke with its downtown restaurant, retail and business center that stretches down a single road as a model to consider.
Building up the downtown business scene, retaining businesses in Aubrey and identifying property the MDD could invest in by purchasing were the primary goals discussed throughout the night.
Business retention might be especially key along U.S. 377 when the expansion project kicks off, Vice President Erin Bogar said.
'We had talked about some type of proactive measures ... to make sure those businesses still have the amount of traffic that's required,' she said.
Gossett also spoke of a 'business incubator, which would be a place where businesses can come and work together.'
'We have 30% of people in Aubrey [working] from home, and a lot of them are in tech,' Gossett said.
MDD member Tim Heitman spoke to the board's desire to work in concert with the council.
'It's like Monopoly,' he said. 'If we're over here playing at Vermont Avenue, but you guys are really more interested in Pennsylvania Avenue, it really doesn't serve everybody.'
The possibility of the MDD using bonds to increase its ability to act was also preliminarily discussed.
The council and board agreed to meet at least every six months to communicate about their goals.
Aubrey Municipal Development District Vice President Erin Bogar, left, listens as President Holly Drew looks to Executive Director Christine Gossett, who shares the entity’s goals with the Aubrey City Council on Tuesday. Abigail Allen/The Post-Signal
