HomeMy Public PortalAboutResolution 13-24 Valley County Strategic PlanRESOLUTION 13-24
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF MCCALL, IDAHO,
ADOPTING THE VALLEY COUNTY STRATEGIC PLAN; PROVIDING FOR RELATED
MATTERS; AND PROVIDING AN EFFECTIVE DATE.
WHEREAS, the Valley County Economic Development Council (VCEDC) is set at seven
minimum and thirteen maximum members including voting members from the Cascade,
Donnelly and McCall chamber or business community, City Council representatives from each
of the three incorporated communities: Cascade, Donnelly, McCall, a County Commissioner,
representing unincorporated Valley County, and two at -large (non -government) members
appointed by the Council; and
WHEREAS, the Council's charter was first adopted on July 25, 2012 and last amended on
October 23, 2012: (1) To encourage Valley County communities, businesses and organizations to
act more cohesively towards an improved local economy; (2) To solicit or assist projects that
substantially strengthen the local economy (through business stimulation; community &
infrastructure development; sector development); (3) To inspire and solicit creative ("outside the
box") solutions for issues at hand; (4) To attract businesses and economic opportunities to the
region; and (5) To assist in the creation and maintenance of a climate that fosters economic
growth and viability; and
WHEREAS, the Council built its strategies on the premise that resilient long-term economic
growth is possible only when a region can sustain and develop its local assets, relationships and
comparative advantage to create a diversity of local added value and related jobs and wealth; and
WHEREAS, business recruitment can be a shortcut or "quick fix" towards growth by
jumpstarting value-added activities and initiating or supporting a local ecosystem of businesses.
The Valley County Economic Development Council recognizes that growing the local economy
through an aggressive reliance on business recruitment is challenging given the region's remote
location and limited connectivity; and
WHEREAS, the VCEDC developed four strategies including Sector Development, Local
Entrepreneurship, Asset Development, and Import Substitution with objectives for each strategy.
WHEREAS, the McCall City Council adopted the McCall Area Comprehensive Plan Update in
December 2007 that contains a Chapter on Economic Development; and
WHEREAS, VCEDC adopted a 2013 Strategic Plan and encourage the cities and county to adopt
the 2013 VCED Strategic Plan by Resolution as an Economic Development Planning document.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE MAYOR AND COUNCIL OF THE CITY
OF MCCALL, VALLEY COUNTY, IDAHO THAT:
Resolution 13-24
December 19, 2013 Page 1 of 2
Section 1:
adopted.
The 2013 VCED Inc. Strategic Plan is attached hereto as Exhibit "A" is hereby
Section 2: Consideration to support periodic funding needs for general and miscellaneous
costs of operation (from Account 10-41-150-325), Economic Development, and partnering with
Valley County and the Cities of Cascade and Donnelly. See the Articles of Incorporation.
Section 3: This resolution shall be in full force and effect on December 19, 2013.
Passed and approved this 19 day of December, 2013.
CITY OF MCCALL
Valley County, Idaho
Donald C. Bailey, Mayor
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Resolution 13-24
December 19, 2013 Page 2 of 2
EXHIBIT A
2013 VCED Strategic Plan
Contents
Valley County's Economy 2
Council role 3
Vision and focus 3
Strategies and objectives 3
Strategy 1: Sector development 3
Strategy 2: Local entrepreneurship 4
Strategy 3: Asset development 5
Strategy 4: Import substitution 6
Attachment: 2013 Valley County State of the Economy 7
EXHIBIT A
Valley County's Economy
[A more detailed overview of Valley County's economy and data sources is provided in the Attachment]
A community generates wealth through value-added activities, be it through services or production.
Valley County, like most intermountain communities, gradually lost its traditional value-added activities
(logging, milling, dairy and meat processing, etc.) that drove local wealth in the 20th century. These
value-added activities formed networks or "ecosystems" of businesses that represented opportunities,
skills and local advantages along one or more related value -chains. Valley County's timber industry used
to be such an ecosystem where sawmills, loggers, toolmakers and transporters formed a network of
mutually beneficial operations in
transforming timber to wood
products. The traditional small
acreage farming & ranching
formed a similar ecosystem until
regulations and
commodification made local
dairies unprofitable. Large
acreage ranching is still an
important land -use in Valley
County, but the sector lost much
of its "ecosystem" ; most cattle
are now trucked in from the
Snake River Plain and grazed on
a combination of owned and
leased lands and then trucked
back to be processed. Flush
times (especially before and
during the 2005-2008 real estate
boom) also caused productive
ranching lands to be in play for
development.
The region now imports most of
its goods and services from the
Boise metro area. It is paying for
these imports with (export)
monies primarily brought in by
tourists, retirees and the
(Federal and State) Forest Service. These three sectors also fuel much of the secondary service and
construction sector in the region. The erosion of value-added activities and the current strong
dependence on seasonal jobs in recreation and forest service translates into low average wages (ranked
27 out of 44 counties in Idaho) and poverty rates for families with young children that are now among
Wage per job
(adjusted for inflation,. see notes)
Valley, Idaho and the U.S.,1969-2011
56,000
49,000
42,000
35,000
28,000
21,000
1972 1976 1980 1984 1986 1992 1996 2000 2004 2o08
Years
— valley
Idaho
—United States
Figure 1: Source:1969-2011: Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Economic Data,
Local Area Personal Income, Table CA34, DATE LAST UPDATED: February 20, 2013.
Graph: http://www.indicatorsnorthwest.org
$50,000
$40,000
i0,000
Proprietor income
1990 2000 2010
3t100 E
d
2000 p
4
1000$
a
2020
Idaho state
Valley, ID
----non farm
proprietors
in Valley
Figure 2: The average proprietors' income is the counterpart to the average wage as
a measure of individual economic well-being for those members of the workforce
who do not work in wage and salary jobs —including sole proprietorships,
partnerships, and tax-exempt cooperatives
Source: 1981-2011: Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Economic Data, Local
Area Personal Income, Tables C04 and CA25. Income is adjusted for inflation using
the GDP price deflators table 1.1.9.
VCED Strategic Plan - Revision: 201308 page 2 of 7
EXHIBIT A
the highest in Idaho. The lack of opportunities translates into a very small representation of youth
(ranking 40 out of 44 counties in Idaho with respect to the population under 18) and, conversely, a
relatively high median age (48 years old versus the Idaho average of 35) with little ethnic diversity (98%
Caucasian).
Council role
The council's charter was first adopted on July 25, 2012 and last amended on October 23, 2012:
- To encourage Valley County communities, businesses and organizations to act more cohesively
toward an improved local economy
- To solicit or assist projects that substantially strengthen the local economy (through business
stimulation; community & infrastructure development; sector development)
- To inspire and solicit creative ("outside the box") solutions for issues at hand
- To attract businesses and economic opportunities to the region
- To assist in the creation and maintenance of a climate that fosters economic growth and viability
Vision and focus
The council built its strategies on the premise that resilient long-term economic growth is possible only
when a region can sustain and develop its local assets, relationships and comparative advantage to
create a diversity of local added -value and related jobs and wealth.
Business recruitment can be a shortcut or "quick fix" towards growth byjumpstarting value-added
activities and initiating or supporting a local ecosystem of businesses. The Valley County Economic
Development Council recognizes, however, that growing the local economy through an aggressive
reliance on business recruitment is challenging given the region's remote location and limited
connectivity.
Strategies and objectives
Note: many if not all of the actions support multiple strategies and/or objectives, but are listed under
the strategy that is of primary concern.
Strategy 1: Sector development
Sector development intends to develop and/ or expand value -chain focused "ecosystems" that
network businesses, services, opportunities, skills, locational assets or advantages and educational
opportunities along one or more related value chains.
Obiective 1.1: strengthen the existing Recreation Sector
Recreation underpins much of the current economy. The 2013 Recreation Summit pointed to three issues
that undermine long-term competitiveness: (1) a weakness in connecting to a more diverse and younger
demographic; (2) a corresponding need to facilitate a growing variety of recreational opportunities,
including biking; (3) a perceived lack in diversity of local retail and hospitality amenities.
• Action: support or organize the 2014 Recreation Summit (Bill Willey>Larry Laxson).
VCED Strategic Plan - Revision: 201308 page 3 of 7
EXHIBIT A
• Action: promote regional collaboration and communication among stakeholders in the summer
recreation akin to the winter recreation group in McCall (Bill Willey>Larry Laxson).
• Action: insure periodic updates from and coordination with the county and cities (council
chairman)
NOTE: the "Vibrant Communities" action item under Asset Management supports bolstering
retail & hospitality amenities.
Objective1.2: strengthen the Farming and Ranching sector
The region's small -acreage ranch and farm land is largely underutilized. The local food movement may
provide an opportunity to redevelop a small farm and ranching sector and network with existing local
businesses like the meat processing facility in New Meadows.
• Action: revive the Grange to strengthen networking and initiate discussions (Primary council
member: Bill Willey, Karla Miller)
Objective 1.3: support a butting Web/Coding sector
Web-Tech/coding is a 'footloose" export business not constrained by Valley County's remote location,
and potentially attractive for small groups or entrepreneurs because of the recreational amenities of the
region.
• Action: organize informal monthly get-together for web/tech-savvy entrepreneurs in our
community (Primary council member: David Carey)
Other ideas for projects and objectives with respect to sector developments but not yet translated into
objectives:
• Recreation Sector: RecTech businesses (design, production or support of recreational
products and services) can expand the recreation sector's ecosystem and promote more
value-added activities. It may also lend itself for business recruitment.
• Construction Sector (promote a builder's guild that promotes a vernacular style optimized
for Valley County climate conditions with locally sourced construction materials);
• the eco-management sector (create or connect local educational opportunities in GIS and
Ecosystem -management with public lands management and recreation management).
• regional advantages: Old -grown Spruce used to be a valued material for instrument making;
exploring historic locational advantages may show other possibilities for diversification.
• A potential crossover project would have the web/coding sector adopt a regional recreation
website as a digital collaboration challenge
Strategy 2: Local entrepreneurship
Broadening sector ecosystems, an increase in local ownership and an increase in value-added
activities are all powerful mechanisms in local wealth generation and all require entrepreneurship,
that is: initiative, innovation, risk -taking and financing from local residents and businesses.
Objective 2.1: Promoting local entrepreneurship (in value-added activities drawing on local resources)
• Action: New Business Plan Contest Part I - contest and fair (Primary council member: Karla
Miller)
VCED Strategic Plan - Revision: 201308 page 4 of 7
EXHIBIT A
Objective2.2: Business acceleration through educational and mentoring support
• Action: New Business Plan Contest Part II — McCall College & SCORE Mentoring (Primary
council member: Paul Johnson, Willem Braak)
Strategy 3: Asset development
Every economic sector ultimately falls back on the natural and cultural assets of our region.
Recreational amenities like viewscape (real estate), downtowns (visitor attraction & amenities),
landscape & wildlife (back -country recreation, hunting), water quality (boating, fishing, eco-system
services), and the region's productive lands (ranching, farming, timber — all also supporting our
viewscape) form the base to much of our economy. It therefore makes sense to steward this base and
make sure that we coordinate policies and incentives among communities to that effect.
Objective 3.1: Promote Vibrant Communities
Livable communities are closely associated with vibrant downtowns and cultural diversity.
Even though we are doing better than most communities, this is not an easy feat to accomplish in a rural
county with 10,000 residents.
• Action: encourage cities to adapt ordinances and procedures to promote infill and
contiguous development of retail, hospitality and public spaces (Council member: Don
Bailey)
• Keep or make entry barriers for new businesses low (Council member: Don Bailey, David
Papiez)
Objective 3.2: Define a desirable future land -use to accommodate resilient economic growth
A regional land -use vision can facilitate a discussion among land -owners, developers and communities
and make comprehensive plans of cities and county compatible. Using a watershed approach may
provide a useful frame in this discussion and connect regional economic and resource constraints.
• Action: organize a workshop in the fall of 2014 for elected officials and community members
to explore regulatory and economic incentives and instruments to make a land -use vision an
accepted guide for development (Council member: Bill Willey; project team members:
Michelle Groenevelt and Cynda Herrick?)
• Action: establish a watershed team that fairly represents the stakeholders in the region
(Council member: David Papiez, Karla Miller)
Objective 3.3: Formalize the council's structure
A transparent and sustainable structure of this council will aid interregional communication and planning
with respect to economic and community development.
• Action: 501(c)4 application per the end of 2013 (David Papiez, Bill Willey, Don Bailey)
Other ideas for projects and objectives with respect to asset development but not yet translated into
objectives:
• Support Community Capacity enhancement projects like The McCall College initiative, or
communication enterprises like a local radio station (Karla reported on the initiative of Long
Valley Community Radio — link to flyer).
VCED Strategic Plan - Revision: 201308 page 5 of 7
EXHIBIT A
Strategy 4: Import substitution
Valley County's trade balance heavily favors import of goods and services, and has impaired local
wealth generation. Shifting the trade balance through import substitution (switching the source of
economic inputs to businesses and households from outside of the region to within the region), is a
recognized and powerful tool in economic development. Not only does it create local jobs by
transferring the input related jobs to the region, it can also support local sector development.
Objective 4.1: Distributed energy development
Energy is a vital input to every economic and household activity of the community, and is a key factor in
added -value activities; this is specifically relevant to the Valley County economy with its harsh winters
and related energy needs. Self-reliance will therefore not only make our local economy more resilient, it
provides more options for economic diversity. The Valley County Region has an abundance of hydro,
biomass, geothermal and other renewable resources to produce energy in a distributed and multi -modal
manner. The use of these region -specific resources provides a competitive edge to the local economy.
• Action: create demonstration projects for distributed energy development (Scotty
Davenport, Rob Terry)
VCED Strategic Plan - Revision: 201308 page 6 of 7
EXHIBIT A
Attachment: 2013 Valley County State of the Economy
The content of this attachment is provided by the University of Idaho Extension in collaboration with the
Valley County Economic Development Council and is published separately at link.
VCED Strategic Plan - Revision: 201308 page 7 of 7