PCD 2021-05-03 Item 1C - Budget - Economic Development Plan

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.111111111111111111111.0 1111111111111111111111 City of Tukwila Allan Ekberg, Mayor INFORMATIONAL MEMORANDUM TO: Community Development & Neighborhoods Committee FROM: Derek Speck, Economic Development Administrator CC: Mayor Ekberg DATE: April 27, 2021 SUBJECT: Economic Development Plan Budget ISSUE Staff requests Committee feedback on a potential budget request for the economic development plan. BACKGROUND On February 1, 2021 the Economic Development Division presented its workplan for 2021 to the Community Development & Neighborhoods Committee (CDN). One of the items on the Division's workplan is to create an economic development plan for the City (the "Plan"). An economic development plan is one of the strategies included in the City's Comprehensive Plan's economic development chapter. The Plan would provide additional context and guidance to staff, policy makers, and the community to enhance the City's economy. DISCUSSION Currently there is no allocated budget for creating the economic development plan (the "Plan"). Staff recognizes the significant budget challenges facing the City due to the pandemic and is willing to create a plan within whatever budget is available. However, as the City anticipates some additional revenue such as the federal government's American Rescue Plan, staff may request a budget allocation for the Plan and welcomes council feedback on the scope. Staff anticipates requesting $150,000 to include the following components: 1. Basic Plan: This work includes hiring a consultant to conduct research, analysis, writing, graphic design, and producing a document. It would also include standard community outreach such as an online survey, a limited phone survey, and some public meetings. Estimated cost $50,000. 2. Expanded Outreach: This work includes hiring multiple community-based organizations or firms to assist with outreach to various groups based on culture, language, age, etc. It would include tailoring those contracts to work with those groups on outreach methods appropriate for each group. These methods may include surveys, conversations, interviews, focus groups, or other ways. As appropriate, methods would include interpretation, translation, childcare, and participation incentives. The intent would be to engage the multiple communities and not be transactional. Estimated cost $50,000. 3. Improved Business Contacts Database: This purpose of this component is to improve our business contacts database which would improve outreach to develop the Plan but would also improve ongoing outreach. The component would include a combination of purchasing a software tool and contacting our businesses to update and/or collect their contact information. In the private sector the software tool would be called a customer 37