07/11/1990 Meeting - Laserfiche WebLink

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- copies of a typical request for information received from interested busi- nesses by the Metro Partnership and provided information on how the Metro Partnership might respond to such a request. Regarding the Metro Partnership's average caseload, Mr. Lively said that the Metro Partnership responds on average to 200 or more interested business prospects per year. Of these 200 prospective cases, approximately 25 to 30 applications develop into active cases. The Metro Partnership has two staff members responsible for working on these cases. Responding to comment from Mr. Miller, Mr. Lively acknowledged that the business of attracting industry is a very competitive one with many factors affecting the final decision of where to locate. He said that the Metro Partnership serves as the facilitator for this decision making process. Mr. Lively noted that most companies that decide to invest in Eugene have 50 employees or fewer and are often in industries such as wood products, elec- tronics, or software development. Mr. Bennett emphasized the importance of having a competitive market of industrial-zoned lands. Responding to a question from Mr. Bennett about the status of Eugene's industrial lands, Mr. Lively said that many businesses have indicated that Eugene has a shortage of good-quality lands which are available for industrial uses. Specifically, many businesses find the condi- tion of Eugene's industrial-zoned lands unattractive because of the character of surrounding lands. e Mr. Gleason noted that changing the quality of Eugene's industrial-zoned lands will have a tremendous impact on the pricing market for those lands. Mr. Boles requested documentation from the Metro Partnership on the relative mix of services that the partnership provides. He also requested a reexami- nation of the qualification process and suggested that some criteria be added which take into account such things as projections for job creation and company stability, in the hope of qualifying larger companies which not only meet financial criteria, but environmental and community-support criteria as well. Mr. Rutan asked why it is important for Eugene to have a Metro Partnership. In response, Mr. Lively said that the benefit of the Metro Partnership to Eugene lies in its ability to identify and recruit economically diverse investment for Eugene and its ability to facilitate this investment by pro- viding a timely and professional response to requests for information. Mr. Boles asked why it is important to have public moneys invested in the Metro Partnership. Mr. Lively responded that it would be impossible to sustain the Metro Partnership without the investment of both publiC and private funds. He indicated that having a contract between the Metro Part- nership and the City provides a direct access into the public entity. In addition, Mr. Gleason said that having a Metro Partnership which does not involve publiC funds reduces public involvement in and control of the re- cruitment process. This can lead to a situation such as the recruitment e MINUTES--Eugene City Council July 11, 1990 Page 4