The Town of Culver plans to invest nearly $25,000 into its Stellar Communities application.
The town council Tuesday voted to move ahead with a couple proposals. The Troyer Group will put together a strategic investment plan for a cost of $12,300. Meanwhile, the Big Idea company will once again produce a promotional video. They’ve agreed the cost won’t exceed $7,500, but Town Manager Jonathan Leist hopes to bring it down closer to $5,000.
Both those companies also worked with Culver on last year’s Stellar application, so many of the materials can be reused. They’ll be updated to reflect some new projects, as well as some suggestions the town’s gotten from the state, like focusing on year-round growth. Also part of the budget are this month’s Stellar Fest and various promotional materials.
Leist says all those items will add up to nearly $25,000. That’s $9,000 more than what the town currently has available for the application. To balance out the budget, an additional appropriation may be required later this year.
Still, Town Council President Ginny Bess Munroe says it’s a lot less than what last year’s winner in the small communities category spent. “It’s about 10 percent of the budget that Corydon spent on theirs,” she said. “We’d be the first town to win on that amount of money.” Leist adds it’s common for towns to spend six figures on their Stellar Communities applications.
The winner of the Stellar Communities designation is expected to be announced later this summer. Stellar Communities are eligible for state resources and planning help for grant applications and project development.
