1 month ago by Scott Hardy
Mayor Mike Troup casts tie-breaking vote.
On a tie-breaking vote by Mayor Mike Troup, the Quincy City Council has approved a request to hire a new company to help the city recruit businesses to fill some of the city's empty stores.
The Council voted 8 to 7 Monday night to hire Retail Strategies, out of Birmingham, Alabama, starting next February. The company will replace the city's current recruiter NextSite. That company did help bring both Target and Planet Fitness to Quincy, but last week's meeting of the Finance Committee revealed that as part of the contract with NextSite, the city will have to pay at least $45,000 more in success fees, for both stores coming to town. At Monday's meeting, both Mayor Troup and Department of Planning and Development head Chuck Bevelheimer said that communication with NextSite was inconsistent, including sporadic reports on who they were talking to about coming to Quincy. After the meeting, Bevelheimer says that he hopes that Retail Strategies will work closer with his department.
( Chuck Bevelheimer :29 )
The three-year contract with Retail Strategies will cost $140,000, but there will be no success fees. The company will also provide the city with mobile data about who shops in Quincy and where they live, as well as analyze vacant retail spots like the former Sears and Shopko buildings. They would also develop a retail recruitment plan for both local and national retailers. The Council also approved a resolution to spend just over $12,000 with Trotter Construction to repair the west wall of the Washington Theater.
