Manager position to go to EDCO

Sisters' economic development manager will report to EDCO (Economic Development for Central Oregon).

That was the conclusion reached in a workshop session of the new Sisters City Council last week.

The city will pay EDCO the $30,000 per year currently budgeted for a half-time economic development manager (an interim contract position currently held by Patty Cordoni). In turn, EDCO will recruit and hire a part-time salaried employee of EDCO with responsibility for Sisters economic development efforts.

Earlier discussions, reinforced by EDCO Executive Director Roger Lee during the workshop, focused on two significant advantages of having the economic development position report through EDCO: For a person in the job, working for EDCO includes employee benefits and some level of stability not available in a contract position.

The benefit to the city comes from the economic development manager's expanded access to EDCO's extensive proprietary and confidential database of regional information, demographics, project templates and contacts.

EDCO houses similar full-time economic development positions for Bend, Redmond, Madras and Prineville, and they are currently in discussions with La Pine. Housing the Sisters economic development manager with EDCO will also allow for cross-pollination of ideas, and joint work on regional issues.

EDCO will use a third-party employment agency to pre-screen applicants. A local committee of four to five from Sisters will work with Lee to select the final candidate.

The final draft of the EDCO agreement is to be reviewed at the council's February 7 workshop.

The council will assemble a standing volunteer economic development advisory board. The board will consist of five to seven interested parties from Sisters. Their charter will be to provide direction, coordination and support for the economic development effort. The board will also lead the private economic development funding efforts.

Lee reported that in each of the other communities that EDCO serves, the economic development efforts are supported financially by both the city and the private business community. In Redmond for example, the split between public and private funding is 50/50.

In a related move, the council agreed to charter EDCO to "quarterback" the expansion of the city's current enterprise zone to include all the land inside the city limits, and the airport, which is being annexed into the city. The approval process is expected to take about 90 days to allow for public hearings, a review by Deschutes County, and a review by Redmond, Sisters' partner in the current enterprise zone. There will be no effect on the taxes of those already located in the expanded zone.