As the Morgan Hill City Council considers its economic
development strategy in the next few weeks we urge city leaders to
hire an economic development director
Morgan Hill needs a full-time economic development director whose primary responsibility is the attraction of new business enterprises as well as the expansion and continued health of existing businesses. This person also needs to be an ombudsman for struggling businesses.
It’s also time for the city to seriously look at the attraction of venture capitalists who are becoming less interested in San Jose because of its high cost of living and looking elsewhere. Why not have them look at our city where it’s less expensive to build homes and start new businesses. Among other issues addressed by this economic development director would be building relationships with other county and regional economic development organizations to form partnerships that will help Morgan Hill formulate, implement and manage economic development strategies and policies.
Besides relying on RDA funds and other city grants, this new position could also find business development grants and communicate with Garrett T. Toy, director of Business Assistance and Housing Services, the Morgan Hill Chamber of Commerce and the Morgan Hill Downtown Association about business opportunities.
The city needs to start riding the nanotechnology and biotechnology economic development wave. It can’t go anywhere without some savvy, directed, focused and proactive economic development intervention.
Many opportunities have and will continue to be missed or snatched up by other communities, which are proactively looking at their economic development potential.
If this need is not filled soon Morgan Hill’s downtown will continue to struggle. Passage of Measure F, the city’s RDA plan and other economic improvement efforts will not be sufficient to position the city well economically in the future.
The recent openings of public facilities such as the Centennial Recreation Center, the Aquatics Center, the new library construction and other private projects such as the Cochrane Road shopping center at the northeast corner of Cochrane Road and U.S. 101, the announcement of the new Madrone Village shopping center and the Trader Joe’s store’s long-awaited opening next month, among others, have made Morgan Hill a so-called “micropolis.” We’re now a small town full of possibility and potential to become a stronger economic hub drawing workers and shoppers from other parts of the county.
Toy and his staff deserve a big “Thank You” for their hard work at making some of these private economic development opportunities a reality. They’ve negotiated some key agreements with important developers and have provided ombudsman services for many big companies. But more needs to be done.
A look at the city’s Business Assistance and Housing Services budget, which comes from RDA funds, shows $4.6 million have been allocated during fiscal year 2006-07 for these types of efforts. Unfortunately, about $1 million goes to pay salaries and close to $2.7 million must be paid back to different taxing entities, leaving little for economic development efforts which cost money and expert guidance.
As the Morgan Hill City Council considers its economic development strategy in the next few weeks, with the assistance of the Community and Economic Development Committee, we urge city leaders to hire an economic development director and invest more on economic development opportunities.
