Item Description:
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Neg Agmt with Minneapolis Regional Chamber Development Foundation for intellectual property and services rendered, NTE $325,000
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Resolution:
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BE IT RESOLVED, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Hennepin County Board of Commissioners authorizes the County Administrator to negotiate an agreement with the Minneapolis Regional Chamber Development Foundation for ownership of intellectual property and payment for services rendered in an amount not to exceed $325,000; and that after review and approval by the County Attorney’s Office, the Chair of the Board be authorized to sign the Agreement on behalf of the County; and that the Controller be authorized to disburse funds as directed.
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Background:
In 2020, Hennepin County Housing & Economic Development Department (HED), contracted with the Minneapolis Regional Chamber Development Foundation (Chamber) to address the needs of Hennepin County’s small business community during the COVID-19 pandemic by implementing the county’s Business Advisory Council created by the Hennepin County Board of Commissioners through Resolution No. 20-0167, and later to develop and manage a technology platform, recommended by the Business Advisory Council, that started as the “Hennepin County Business Recovery Network” but became “Elevate Business HC” by November 2020.
In 2021, the Hennepin County Housing and Redevelopment Authority (“HRA”) contracted with the Chamber to manage the Elevate Business HC technology platform, coordinate between HED staff, business advisory providers, and the platform, and administer and promote the Elevate Business HC program itself.
In 2022, the Chamber and the County began discussions regarding renewal of the contract to provide the technology platform for the “Elevate Business HC” program. These negotiations have been ongoing and have finally reached an amicable resolution for services rendered in 2022.
In February of 2023, HED moved forward with the County’s plans to continue providing small business advisory services to Hennepin County residents without the Chamber’s services.This included re-branding the County’s business advisory program as “Elevate Hennepin” and discontinuing use of “Elevate Business HC”. The County and the Chamber have been in ongoing discussions throughout this time and wish to resolve the outstanding invoice for the Chamber’s past services as well as the ownership of the relevant intellectual property.
Current Request: The current request seeks authority for the County Administrator to negotiate an agreement between Hennepin County and the Minneapolis Regional Chamber Development Foundation, finalizing agreed upon payment for all prior services related to the efforts around Elevate Business.
recommendation
Recommendation from County Administrator: Recommend Approval