Can your kids return to Sisters?

Will your kids be able to return to Sisters to live and work?

This is a dilemma understood but rarely addressed in our community: too few employers offering too few jobs at family/living wage levels and a lack of "affordable housing."

On May 1, I gave a presentation at the inaugural Sisters Business Summit & Job Fair held at the FivePine Conference Center. One of the major points I made was that Sisters, over the 15 years that I have lived here, has lost more family/living wage employers than it has gained.

Some examples: Micromonitors, founded in Sisters, moved to Bend, 40 jobs; Alpine Internet, moved to Bend, 10 jobs; Northwest Telemarketing, moved to Bend, 55 jobs; Weitech, sold, 90 jobs; Multnomah Publishers, sold, 60 jobs; Good Family Magazines, sold, 15 jobs.

Simultaneously, housing prices have escalated and affordable housing in Sisters Country is seriously lacking. Here is some data (courtesy of Housing Works, Redmond). The area median income for a family of 4 living in Deschutes County in 2006 was $58,800. The affordable rent for this family was $1,470/month - and apartment vacancies are hard to come by in Sisters. The affordable purchase price of a home for this family was $179,330.

Although we all realize there has been a "softening" in the real estate market this year, here's a reality check:

Median Sisters Home Price quarter one 2007 - $415,000; Median Sisters residence with acreage - $782,600; Median Sisters Townhome/Condo - $256,100; Median Sisters Manufactured Home - $230,000.

Can you guess why elementary school enrollment is decreasing?

Ray's Food Place is struggling to attract and retain employees at their current location due to high commuting costs (fuel) and the inability of staff to afford housing in Sisters. And now they need additional staff for "new" Ray's...

Sisters needs to retain and attract companies with living/family wage jobs.

I believe that Sisters' economy is out of balance, heavily weighted toward retail and tourism - both offering primarily low-paying jobs.

We now have two beautiful "business parks" on the north side of Sisters just waiting to accommodate a variety of mixed uses (businesses and apartments/homes). But nothing is happening with those parks because no one is proactively soliciting/coercing potential businesses to consider Sisters.

"City Hall does not have the staff time to focus on business recruitment or retention," stated Brad Boyd, Sisters Mayor (The Bulletin, March 20, 2007). The chamber operates with a staff of three - far too few to handle business recruitment.

It's my belief that Sisters needs to adopt the model successfully employed by both Redmond and now Prineville: an Economic Development Director.

This director, whether full or half-time, oversees all elements of a multifaceted effort unique to Sisters Country but parallel to EDCO's (Economic Development for Central Oregon) outreach efforts for business recruitment, expansion and retention activities involving a systematic process of contact, assistance and follow-up. The director is project and/or client-based to provide solutions, one company at a time, relating to workforce issues, business finance, marketing, access to incentive programs, real estate development and other factors impacting businesses.

Attracting and retaining the appropriate businesses to Sisters helps everyone. Vacant offices are filled. Homes are sold. More goods and services are purchased. Schools are filled, and our tax base is increased.

But I believe we need to get proactive - and soon. Redmond, Prineville and even La Pine are actively recruiting while we do nothing.

Contact your city councilors: http://www.ci.sisters.or.us/city_council.shtm or the chamber director: [email protected], attend council meetings or volunteer for one of the many committees available.

Don't we all want our kids to return one day?

Bill Mintiens is the chairman of the Sisters Economic Council and former loan officer with US Bank.