FORUM PUTS LOCAL OFFICIALS, BUSINESS LEADERS ON SAME PAGE
Panel shares incentives for
revenue, job growth
A panel of local officials charged with business development told a gathering of county business leaders that they're doing their level best to spur economic growth.
A panel of local officials charged with business development told a gathering of county business leaders that they're doing their level best to spur economic growth.
As evidence, representatives from Pima County and city and town governments touted a menu of recently passed economic development initiatives and incentive packages for businesses at an informational "matchmaking session" hosted this week by the economic development agency Tucson Regional Economic Opportunities, Inc.
About 80 TREO investors and commercial and industrial brokers gathered at the downtown Manning House to hear pitches from the various local jurisdictions as well as the newly formed Arizona Commerce Authority.
TREO President Joe Snell said the forum was an opportunity for business and government to get on the same page. "Governments speak a different language than industry so it's important we get them in the same room," Snell said.
Here are some details from the presentations:
Arizona Commerce Authority Rob Morton, vice president for business attraction, spoke on programs that will be available from the newly formed Arizona Commerce Authority, a public-private partnership which will take over from the state Department of Commerce this summer. Morton touted a list of incentives included in the recently passed Arizona Competitiveness Package, including a $25 million deal-closing fund for attracting high-wage companies to the state and income-tax credits for creating new jobs.
City of Tucson
Assistant City Manager Sean McBride described the following incentives:
• The Primary Jobs Incentive, which aims to retain and attract companies in aerospace and defense, bioscience, solar energy, transportation and logistics. The city waives fees for electrical, plumbing, mechanical, grading and site review permits and directs construction sales taxes to job training, public infrastructure improvements or impact fee offsets.
• Downtown infill and redevelopment incentives which include a $10,000 building-permit fee waiver, zero parking requirements, and a 23-percent discount in road-impact fees for building downtown.
• Solar incentives worth up to a $10,000 permit-fee credit for solar systems or water heater and impact fee deferrals.
Pima County
Development Services director Carmine DeBonis highlighted "streamlined" services for businesses, including online building review and permitting services, and quicker approval times for permits, development plans and rezonings.
"We're looking to get more things done at fewer points of contact," DeBonis said.
Jim Mize, director of the Pima County One Stop Career Center, outlined services at the employment center, including job-listing services, information on tax credit assistance, job-training programs, and office space for job fairs, recruiting events and employee orientations.
Town of Marana
Marana reimburses local construction sales taxes for non-retail companies that create at least 25 jobs paying $40,000 per year or more and that invest at least $2 million in new construction or renovations. Companies may use the reimbursement for employee relocation, job training, improvements to the Interstate 10 corridor or internships for Marana students.
The town also offers expedited development reviews for high-wage employers. The town is focused on flexibility when it comes to working with businesses, said Josh Wright, an assistant to the town manager.
"Everybody has unique needs," Wright said. "The thing we do is try to build around your timeline."
Town of Oro Valley
Economic development manager Amanda Jacobs said the town handles requests for incentives on a case-by-case basis. Jacobs said other efforts by the town include project teams to ensure incentive applicants' questions are answered quickly, a shortened review process that has cut development reviews by about nine months, and a continued commitment to expanding the town's bioscience cluster at Innovation Park.
Town of Sahuarita
Economic development and communications manager Kathy Ward described Sahuarita as "the new kid on the block" when it comes to economic development and incentives. The town has grown by almost 700 percent in the last decade.
"If Pima County and Tucson are in graduate school and Oro Valley and Marana are in college, we're still trying to get through high school," Ward said.
Ward didn't offer up specifics, but said the town is starting to pursue TREO and Commerce Authority leads in hopes of landing a major employer with a goal to create a local, self-sustaining economy.
"The council and staff are very committed to economic development," Ward said.
Reprinted here with permission from the Arizona Daily Star. Contact reporter Alex Dalenberg at adalenberg@azstarnet.com or 807-8429. |
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