CC Minutes - 02/16/05 WS - Laserfiche WebLink

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grandfathered in, adding that Hynix had been ~more than a good corporate citizen." He said Junction City had an enterprise zone and would take advantage of the economic incentives to foster job growth. He predicted this would result in Eugene residents commuting to Junction City which would run against State goals to reduce vehicle miles traveled (VMT). Mr. Pap~ appreciated Mr. Pryor's analogies. He was in favor of the enterprise zone and did not oppose inclusion of language regarding the caliber of workforce and wages that the City sought. In response to a question from Mr. Pap~, Mr. Braud stated that once the zone was in place, the City Council could change the boundary and adopt new criteria. Mr. Pap~ asked what of the 5,900 acres proposed for the zone was available for development. Mr. Braud replied that staff had embarked on the initial stage of a buildable land inventory. Roughly 1,700 acres had been identified as vacant land, of which 786 acres was available. He underscored that all of the data was not yet available to staff. He said he would bring more information to the next meeting. Mr. Pap~ wished to stress that 80 percent of the business expansion that had occurred under the enterprise zone had been undertaken by local small businesses. Mayor Piercy wished for clarification on how community standards would be defined. Mr. Braud explained that in the past the City Council had passed a resolution outlining its criteria. He recommended the criteria be focused on wages, benefits, job training, and other employment issues. He said the State statutes dictate which types of companies receive the tax exemption and the City could not change that. Mayor Piercy asked staff to take a look at the community standards and be sure that they lined up with what was being set forth. Mr. Braud responded that Attachment C did so. Mayor Piercy asked staff to put its interpretation of the standards together with what the council was proposing and then invite people to weigh in so that the council could make informed decisions. Ms. Taylor asked why the crime rates were referenced. Ms. Taylor acknowledged that small businesses had benefited. However, she averred that businesses in areas that did not have the incentives provided by the enterprise zone did not understand why some businesses were given the breaks based on geographical location. Ms. Taylor noted that some of the councilors had attended the Sustainable Business Conference. She thought they had learned good things and should build upon them. She said building on what the City already had was the way to proceed, such as the natural foods industry and the arts. Ms. Bettman stated that after the last enterprise zone, a committee had been formed which recommended a per-job cap. She supported instituting such a cap. She agreed that many small businesses had participated but wished to point out that the small businesses had received a small percentage of the actual dollars. Ms. Bettman averred that the enterprise zone was really a tool for increasing manufacturing businesses. She referenced comments made by the committee that supported economic development through high-paying knowledge-based jobs and the use of education and medical research as industries. She also thought the MINUTES--Eugene City Council February 16, 2005 Page 3 Work Session