Item 2: Economic Development Subcommittee Report

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JEO OINT LECTED FFICIALS AIS GENDA TEM UMMARY Regional Economic Development Meeting Date: June 1, 2009 Agenda Item Number: 2 Department: Planning and Development Staff Contact: Jon Ruiz, Gino Grimaldi, Jeff Spartz www.ci.eugene.or.us Contact Telephone Number for Jon Ruiz: 682-5336 ISSUE STATEMENT At the March Joint Elected Officials (JEO) meeting, members expressed interest in holding a Regional Economic Summit to coordinate a collaborative response to the current situation and formed a sub- committee (ED Task Force) for this purpose. The ED Task Force, composed of members from the City of Eugene Council, City of Springfield Council and Lane County Board of Commissioners has been working together over the past few months to create a framework for a regional economic development plan that will better position our regional economy to take advantage of economic opportunities that align with our area’s assets and values. The ED Task Force recommends that the JEO approve the framework described below to ensure continued and timely progress on creating a regional economic development plan. BACKGROUND The citizens of the Eugene-Springfield metro area have felt the burden of the financial crisis more so than in other counties and other states. The decline in local jobs, coupled with an increased demand for social services, is putting a strain on city, county and state programs. The Eugene-Springfield metro area unemployment rate in April 2009 was 13%, a 7.9 percentage point increase over the last year, which is slightly higher than the state unemployment rate of 12.1%. The decline in the availability of local jobs has put increased pressure on social services. The number of cases in the federal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program for our local district has increased 18.5 percentage points over the past year. The number of applications for low-income housing in Lane County in 2008 increased 13 percentage points compared to the previous year. These programs are indicative that the economic crisis has significantly impacted our local economy and that the need for a regional, long-term plan is present. Designing Our Next Economy #1. Process: The framework for designing our next economy is a multi-step process and will include input from industry experts, representatives from various organizations/affiliations and outreach to the broader community. See Attachment A for the flow chart. In the first phase of the process, a technical advisory group (TAG) of experts will compile an initial recommendation for the second phase on specific economic opportunity areas based upon our goal and principles. The second phase of the process will include outreach to a broader community through focus groups with representatives from a broad array of organizations to get feedback on the economic opportunity areas. The TAG will then present its final recommendation to the JEO for final approval. Z:\CMO\2009 Council Agendas\M090601\S0906012.doc