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HomeMy WebLinkAboutRES 02-282 RESOLUTION NO. 02-282 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF BEAUMONT: THAT the City Council hereby approves the Economic Development Plan Element of the Comprehensive Plan of the City of Beaumont substantially in the form attached hereto as Exhibit "A." PASSED BY THE CITY COUNCIL of the City of Beaumont this the 26th day of November, 2002. d�f - M yor Evelyn M. Lord - ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PLAN AN ELEMENT OF THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN EXHIBIT "A" CONTENTS Preface.......................................................................................................................................2 Definition of Economic Development.........................................................................................3 Introduction...............................................................................................................................4 GoalStatement..........................................................................................................................7 Objectivesand Policies.........................................................................:....................................7 LongRange Strategies.............................................................................................................12 Developmentof an Action Plan................................................................................................12 Expected Results, Implementation............................................................................................12 PREFACE On April 5, 1986, Beaumont's voters approved a major update of the City Charter. Most of the Charter revisions were intended to improve the way the City Government carries out its responsibilities to the community. One important change was a requirement for a new component to the City's Comprehensive Plan. The Comprehensive Plan provides, in written and graphic form goals, objectives, policies and proposals for Beaumont's future physical growth and development. Elements of the Plan address land use, transportation, and parks, recreation and open space. In the Charter election, the citizens voted to add an Economic Development element to the Comprehensive Plan. The new element was proposed by the City staff for two major reasons. First, most of the physical development policies and proposals contained in the Comprehensive Plan are closely tied to the related trends of employment and population growth. The physical development goals of the Plan cannot be achieved without expansion of Beaumont's economy. Second,the state of the economy is the most important development issue in Beaumont in terms of its direct effects upon the present and future quality of life of all citizens. With its adoption, the Economic Development Policy Plan will provide general policy guidance to the Planning Commission, City staff, and City Council. 2 DEFINITION OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT Economic development is a widely discussed, but not always understood, concept. Economic development is often seen as the attraction of new industries. While attraction of new industry is certainly a worthwhile goal and should be an important part of any comprehensive economic development program, there should be activities designed to retain and expand existing businesses and industries and to create entirely new businesses. Research indicates that most industrial relocations involve moving to a new site within the same metropolitan area and that the number of organizations in the United States actively soliciting industrial prospects greatly exceeds the number of new industrial plants built each year. Most economic development practitioners agree that efforts at industrial retention/expansion and development of new small local businesses and industries often offer the greatest potential for successful economic development. Economic development also involves strategic planning: setting goals, determining the competitive strengths and weaknesses of the area economy and devising a course of action to achieve the desired goals. For the purpose if this plan, economic development is defined as follows: ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IS THE PROCESS OF USING PUBLIC AND PRIVATE RESOURCES TO CREATE NEW JOBS. THIS IS DONE THROUGH INDUSTRIAL ATTRACTION, EXPANSION OF EXISTING BUSINESSES AND INDUSTRY, AND CREATION OF NEW BUSINESS ENTERPRISES. 3 INTRODUCTION An Economic Development Policy Plan has been prepared to provide City Council with a policy framework for addressing the strategic issue of economic growth. The City of Beaumont contracts with the Beaumont Chamber of Commerce for various economic development activities such as marketing analysis and strategies for business retention. The Economic Development Policy Plan consists of goals, objectives, policies, and proposals for guiding Beaumont's future economic growth and development. The strategy was developed following an inventory and analysis of the characteristics of Beaumont's economy, obstacles to economic growth,opportunities for new employment,and Beaumont's competitive position in terms of locational attributes and business climate. The economic development policies are based on one goal:to increase the total number of permanent jobs available to citizens of Beaumont and the southeast Texas region. Five objectives have been identified to address this goal, and policies have been drafted to meet each objective. One of the most effective economic development functions for a local government is to identify barriers to economic growth and, where possible, remove or reduce these barriers. Specific opportunities include: • continuing to simplify and streamline City regulations and permitting procedures affecting business expansion. 4 • providing leadership in developing a community attitude of unity and determination in strengthening the area economy. There are several very significant resources Beaumont can build on in strengthening the local economy: • Access to a population of 385,000 in the three county, Beaumont/Port Arthur Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA). Located less than 90 miles from Houston, there are 31 million people within one day's driving time. This provides a good market base for specialized or high-quality retailing, health and other professional services, and"day-trip" tourism. The population of the"expanded market area" is also an asset in providing a large labor market for potential new industry and for providing a sizable market for wholesaling and distribution activities. • The labor force in the Beaumont area includes a diversified mix of skilled,unskilled, and trainable workers. • According to local industrial real estate specialists, there is a more than adequate supply in Beaumont of industrial and commercial development sites with adequate utilities and good transportation access. • A widely diversified transportation system serves the area with freeway, rail, international port, and aircraft transportation. • Unlike other regions in the southwest,the Beaumont area has a large reliable supply of fresh surface water. • Lamar University provides the nucleus of new research and technology oriented 5 businesses. • Lamar Institute of Technology provides the Beaumont-Port Arthur MSA with an exceptional Workforce Training Program. Lamar has partnered with business and industry in Southeast Texas to build a better workforce. Customized training programs are established to assist industry in training it's employees. • Lamar Institute of Technology is the fastest growing of the 140 established colleges and universities in the State of Texas. Lamar Institute of Technology offers 27 degree and 22 certified programs. 6 GOAL: INCREASE THE NUMBER OF PERMANENT JOBS AVAILABLE TO CITIZENS OF BEAUMONT AND SOUTHEAST TEXAS Emphasis should be placed on value added jobs which are most likely to lead to further job creation. Jobs in"export"industries bring money into the region through production of goods or services that are exported outside of Beaumont. These jobs, which are generally relatively highly paid, create spendable household income, generating new jobs in sales and services. Beaumont also needs jobs which can be filled by workers who were previously employed in shipyards, refineries, and chemical plants. These skilled workers are among Beaumont's most valuable economic resources and will leave the area if new job opportunities are not developed. Because of an especially high unemployment rate among Beaumont's sizable minority population, entry-level jobs with on-the-job training are needed to bring unskilled workers from low-income backgrounds into the work force. WHERE WILL THESE JOBS COME FROM? New jobs come from three sources; 1) expansion of existing businesses 2) creation of new, entrepreneurial enterprises 3) attraction of plants or businesses from outside the community. Research indicates that expansion of existing businesses and creation of new entrepreneurial enterprises account for 80%to 90% of all new jobs. OBJECTIVE NO. 1 MAINTAIN AN EFFECTIVE ROLE FOR THE CITY OF BEAUMONT IN THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PROCESS. Policy 1.1 Role of the City The City will continue to serve in a leadership role in the following areas of economic development: a) strategic planning— analyzing Beaumont's competitive strengths and weaknesses in the world economy and then taking aggressive action to capitalize on the strengths and overcome the weaknesses. 7 b) legislative advocacy — working closely with Jefferson County, The Port of Beaumont, Drainage District #6, the Jefferson County Navigation District, BISD, other municipalities in the region, and other State and Federal elected officials to secure major funding assistance and to enact or change laws to increase the strategic competitiveness of the local/regional economy. C) leveraging and public/private partnerships—using the limited resources available to the City government, such as grants, development incentives, infrastructure, land, and staff to attract private sector investments which will create or retain jobs and/or increase the tax base. d) develop and communicate a vision of the future—the City's elected officials and staff must motivate the community to set its sights on the goal of becoming a first- class medium-sized city with a quality of life capable of attracting new private investment and population. The City will serve in a leadership and cooperative role in the following areas, participating actively and lending whatever support is needed to other members of the economic development network: a) promotion:assisting the Chamber of Commerce,the Partnership of Southeast Texas, the Convention and Visitors Bureau, BUILD, Inc/Beaumont Main Street, Entergy, and other promotional groups in marketing Beaumont as a business location,tourist destination, etc. b) business attraction: working cooperatively with the Chamber of Commerce in competing for new industry. Policy 1.2 The City's Commitment The City will commit the assets it has available — staff, incentives, land, taxing authority, infrastructure,tax-exempt bonding authority, and access to State and Federal grants—to the local and regional economic development efforts. The City will also strive for excellence in conducting its basic responsibilities of providing public services and infrastructure,recognizing that an efficient,competent and responsive City government is one of the prerequisites for economic growth of a community. Allocation of resources for construction of new or the repair or extension of existing city infrastructure and new or revised city services will be implemented on the basis of need; however,the impact of such actions on the economic development of the city as a whole will be considered of overriding importance when deciding where to allocate the city's resources among areas which are of equal need. 8 Policy 1.3 Public Return on Investment The City will examine the potential return on the public's investment when determining where and how its limited resources will be committed. Return on public investment will be measured in terms of jobs created,jobs retained, and broadening of the tax base. OBJECTIVE NO. 2 ENCOURAGE A CLIMATE WHICH FACILITATES BUSINESS GROWTH AND SUSTAINABILITY Policy 2.1 The City of Beaumont recognizes that the degree of cooperation and support of local government plays a major role in business location and expansion decisions. The City resolves to improve both its efficiency and effectiveness in providing assistance and services to business. Policy 2.2 The City of Beaumont will be committed to improving the quality of life for current and future residents. In recognition of the connection between economic development, the quality of life or livability of a city, and the development of a favorable sense of place among residents and non-residents alike, the City supports the inclusion of"quality of life" and "environmental quality" considerations in making planning and development decisions. Visual community appearance considerations in the City's planning and development efforts are to be considered important economic development actions which will improve Beaumont's ability to attract new businesses and employment opportunities. In realization of the fact that investing in the overall improvement in the quality of life or livability of the city is not a goal which can be achieved overnight, the city will concentrate its resources on the cleanup and rehabilitation of selected neighborhoods and on the development and implementation of urban design plans for selected open space, street corridor, and city entrance or gateway areas. 9 OBJECTIVE NO.3 ATTRACT NEW BUSINESSES AND INDUSTRIES TO THE BEAUMONT AREA Policy 3.1 The City will work with the Chamber of Commerce, the Partnership of Southeast Texas and other economic development groups in a team effort to bring new businesses and industries to the Beaumont area. Policy 3.2 Efforts to attract new business and industry will be targeted on industries whose locational needs are consistent with the Beaumont area's locational attributes. Policy 3.3 Continue to promote the Beaumont area's resources and quality of life factors through the efforts of the Beaumont Convention& Visitors Bureau. OBJECTIVE NO. 4 RETAIN AND EXPAND EXISTING BUSINESSES AND INDUSTRIES Policy 4.1 The City of Beaumont recognizes that existing businesses and industries are the community's most important economic resources and will support the efforts of existing businesses to expand and improve operations. Policy 4.2 An"outreach"program to foster continuing open lines of communication between the city government and existing businesses and industries will continue. OBJECTIVE NO. 5 STIMULATE THE CREATION OF NEW BUSINESS Policy 5.1 Continue the City's Small Business Revolving Loan Fund which provides financing assistance for new businesses having difficulty in obtaining conventional financing. Policy 5.2 Continue work with the Small Business Center at Lamar University, which assists start up businesses and processes applications for the City's Small Business Revolving Loan Fund. 10 OBJECTIVE NO. 6 IMPROVE THE COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGES OF THE BEAUMONT AREA ECONOMY Policy 6.1 The City of Beaumont will assume a role of partnership with local business and industry in competing with producers in other regions, states and countries. This means City actions involving taxes, infrastructure, regulations and development incentives will focus on making it easier, more efficient and more advantageous for doing business in Beaumont. Policy 6.2 Expand the scope of Beaumont's market area by capitalizing on the city's role as a regional center oftrade,professional services,entertainment,distribution,and medical services. 11 LONG RANGE STRATEGIES • Maintain an equitable and moderate tax rate. This can be achieved by broadening and diversifying the tax base. • Improve Beaumont's quality of life by developing and improving recreation, health, education,' and employment opportunities. Improving the quality of life will also require improvements in the environment and the physical appearance of the city. Successfully pursuing these long-range strategies will make Beaumont more attractive as a place to relocate, expand, or start a business venture. 12 A.. Cit y of Beaumont •�• Council Agenda Item TO: City Council FROM: Kyle Hayes, City Manager PREPARED BY: Stephen C. Richardson, Planning Manager MEETING DATE: November 26, 2002 AGENDA MEMO DATE: November 19, 2002 REQUESTED ACTION: Council consider a request for the Economic Development Plan Element of the Comprehensive Plan of the City of Beaumont. RECOMMENDATION The Administration recommends approval of the Economic Development Plan Element of the Comprehensive Plan of the City of Beaumont. BACKGROUND The City Charter requires that each of the four elements of the Comprehensive Plan be re-adopted every two years. As a result,the currently adopted Economic Development Plan was re-evaluated and minor changes made. Staff is now asking that the Planning Commission and the City Council adopt the Economic Development Plan as submitted. The Economic Development Plan element of the Comprehensive Plan provides general policy guidance on addressing economic growth to the Planning Commission,City staff and City Council. While the City contracts with the Beaumont Chamber of Commerce for various economic development activities, the City will continue to leverage the resources available to it to attract private sector investments which will create or retain jobs and/or increase the tax base. The Economic Development Plan element recognizes the need for the City to cooperate with the Chamber of Commerce, the Partnership of Southeast Texas, the Convention and Visitors Bureau, BUILD,Inc./Beaumont Main Street,Entergy and other groups in marketing Beaumont as a business location and tourist destination. It also recognizes that quality of life issues are important when encouraging a climate which facilitates business growth and sustainability. BUDGETARY IMPACT None. PREVIOUS ACTION At a joint Public Hearing with City Council held November 18, 2002, the Planning Commission voted 6:0 to approve the Economic Development Plan Element of the Comprehensive Plan of the City of Beaumont. SUBSEQUENT ACTION None. RECOMMENDED BY Planning Commission, City Manager, Public Works Director and the Planning Manager. RECOMMENDED MOTION Approve/Deny the Economic Development Plan Element of the Comprehensive Plan of the City of Beaumont.