The Albert Lea-Freeborn County Chamber of Commerce board of directors sent the following letter to Mayor Vern Rasmussen and the members of the Albert Lea City Council on Dec. 12. The chamber would like to share the letter with the community in support of Mr. Chad Adams and his work for our community and to encourage the city to conduct all its affairs in a businesslike manner.

The board of directors of the Albert Lea-Freeborn County Chamber of Commerce have followed with great interest the public discussions surrounding reorganization and the planning for meeting the city’s infrastructure needs. Both of these issues are of great importance. It appears to us that they are somewhat connected.

When faced with fiscal pressures, business often goes through a process similar to what City Manager Adams proposed to you. They redo job descriptions, reassign tasks and examine the cost/benefit relationship of all personnel. One key element of such an effort is to not let emotion influence the discussion. The effort must focus on the benefit to efficiency and the bottom line.

We want to acknowledge Mr. Adams’ effort. After two years of study and review, he brought forth a plan to do for the city that which any business would want. While we understand that the City Council saw the plan as problematic, the fact remains that some changes should be made in the name of economy, efficiency and productivity.

We believe that Mr. Adams is the right person to see to these reforms. We have found him to be forward-thinking, open and communicative, and highly collaborative. His ability to see the “big picture” is admirable, and we encourage you to task him, again, with bringing effective change to city government.

As you accomplish those efficiencies, addressing the future infrastructure needs as part of a long-term plan should become easier. As you should know, the infrastructure of the city is critical to not only existing businesses, but those who might be examining our community as a sight for their business.

Good roads with proper sewer and water infrastructure are essential ingredients in business growth and retention, whether that be at their business location or at the homes of their employees.

Again, Mr. Adams, working with Public Works Director Steve Jahnke, has shown great vision by addressing the deep-rooted problems rather than “kicking the can down the road” through cosmetic changes. We, as the business community, rely heavily on public infrastructure and applaud the city’s efforts in this area.

Again, we encourage you to think long term, businesslike, and big picture when addressing these two issues. We further believe that Mr. Adams possesses the skills, ability and knowledge to formulate the plan. It is then up to you to implement said plan. We, on behalf of the business community, encourage you to do so.

 

Randy Kehr

executive director

Albert Lea-Freeborn County Chamber of Commerce

Albert Lea