Laserfiche WebLink
September 14, 2009 <br />Joint Elected Officials Meeting <br />City of Springfield <br />City of Eugene <br />Lane County <br /> <br />Page 2 of 14 <br /> <br /> <br />At the March Joint Elected Officials (JEO) meeting, members expressed interest in holding a Regional <br />Economic Summit to coordinate a collaborative response to the current situation and formed a sub- <br />committee (ED Task Force) for this purpose. At the June JEO meeting, the framework for the <br />development of a regional economic development plan was approved. The framework for designing our <br />next economy included the creation of a Technical Advisory Group (TAG) composed of key stakeholders <br />in our regional economy. (Attachment A was the member list of the TAG). The TAG developed a list of <br />strategies and tactics that they felt the region should strategically focus on to best influence the economic <br />development of our region. <br /> <br />The TAG developed the economic development strategies with the following JEO approved goals and <br />principles as guidance: <br /> <br />Goal: <br />By 2020, create 20,000 net new jobs in the chosen economic opportunity areas; reduce the local <br />area unemployment rate to, or below, the state average; and increase the average annual wage to, or <br />above, the state level. <br /> <br />Mr. Ruiz discussed the principles developed by those subcommittees. <br /> <br />Principles: <br />The principles that will guide the development of our next economy were discussed at length <br />by the ED Task Force. <br /> <br />Healthy Living <br /> – Championing businesses and entrepreneurs that promote a healthy, safe, and clean <br />community while enhancing, protecting, and making wise use of our natural resources. <br /> <br />Smart Growth – <br />Encourage a culture of entrepreneurship and re-investment into our local <br />community. <br /> <br />Be Prepared – <br />Develop the region’s physical, social, educational, and workforce infrastructure to <br />meet the needs of tomorrow. <br /> <br />Local Independence – <br /> Promote local businesses and entrepreneurs that lead our area to a higher <br />level of economic independence and resilience. <br /> <br />Regional Identity – <br />Create a stronger economic personality that celebrates our region’s attributes <br />and values. <br /> <br />The following strategies developed by the TAG established a vision for how the governments, businesses, <br />and community members could work together to help the Eugene-Springfield metro area achieve <br />economic sustainability. They established a framework for decision-making for community partners <br />within Eugene, Springfield and Lane County. The goal was to focus on several things that could be <br />addressed. This was only one part of three for economic development. Create jobs, support existing <br />businesses (each jurisdiction), and look forward to next few years. Mr. Ruiz discussed each of the <br />strategies. <br /> <br /> <br />Business Retention and Expansion <br />1. <br /> <br />