City weighing loan fund to spark job growth

The Sisters City Council is considering a plan to initiate a new Forgivable Loan Fund, in an attempt to attract new businesses and/or promote job creation, retention and expansion in Sisters.

They discussed the idea at their February 18 workshop.

Disbursements from the fund may take the form of low-interest loans, but all loans have to be tied directly to creation or retention of jobs in Sisters. If the jobs that were created still exist in three years, the loan is forgiven.

The City contracts with Economic Development for Central Oregon (EDCO) for economic development strategic planning, counsel and support. In turn, EDCO is directly engaged in the recruitment of new traded-sector businesses to the City. EDCO would administer the loan program and oversee a "due diligence committee."

Staff has been directed to prepare this program for rollout in the 2015-16 fiscal year. However, if everything comes together and there is interest sooner, it could be available by April 2015.

After lengthy discussion, council members concurred on language that would amend two City ordinances dealing with business licenses and transient merchants in order to simplify the language and close existing loopholes in the code. They agreed to study further proposed amendments to the code section concerning public events.

The council will have to formally approve changes to code.

Under the proposed code language, a temporary business would now be defined as "conducting or operating a business as defined in section 5.04.015(1)(a) for a minimum of four (4) and a maximum of forty-five (45) consecutive days within a calendar year." A license would be issued for a single period per calendar year per property with no renewals or extensions. Any temporary structures must be removed when the license expires. The fee for the business license is a $100 application fee and $10 a day.

A transient merchant is one who doesn't make his business permanent and continuous in the City. A license for this type of business would be "limited to a three consecutive day period, six times per calendar year on the same property" (private property only). The merchant cannot locate on a vacant lot.

Regarding public events, Council is considering a possible provision for no other public events being allowed during citywide events like the Rodeo parade, Quilt Show, and Sisters Folk Festival. This possibility is sparked by the consideration that a citywide event puts a strain on the public works department, its equipment and staff, on traffic flow in and around the city, as well as on the livability for the residents when the entire town is involved in an event.

Council wants to hold a workshop with the stakeholders of large events to discuss the proposed fee schedule for their events and what the actual costs to the City are for those events.

Andrew Gorayeb, city manager, reported that interviews are underway for both the community development director and the associate planner positions in the planning department.

In the debate over the process of approval for food carts at Eurosports, City attorney Steve Bryant is reviewing a letter from Michael Peterkin, the land-use attorney hired by a group of concerned Sisters residents. There is some thought within the City that perhaps Peterkin may not have had all the facts about the issue when he rendered his opinion.

Liam Hughes, Parks Advisory Board chairman, and Councilor McKibben Womack are meeting with the neighbors of Creekside Campground to discuss their request for a moratorium on opening the park until their concerns are

addressed.