Connecting Us - Sustaining Progress (CUSP)

CUSP Committee Meeting – Business and Economic Climate Jan 8, 2020 Idaho Falls Public Library, Meeting Room 2 Present: Dana Kirkham, Chair; McKenzie Willmore, Doug Webster, Michelle Covert, Dana Briggs, Alison, Dan Barrick, Brennan Summers, Chris Lee Next meeting: Weds Feb 19th, 5:30p Idaho Falls Public Library Minutes 6:32p Call to order, quorum present 1. CUSP Kick-off recap, reintroductions.  Why are we here? Expectations. Not just deliver a list of problems, offer solutions. Data backed, well thought out, accessible to the average person, not just City Council. Identify what is a problem vs a symptom. 2. Review & data sharing recap  Review of County demographics and statistics. 3. Topic discussions  Working toward three questions for the committee to address o Is there a sufficient workforce? o Attraction and retention of people? o Small business development – why or why not? o Do we have the infrastructure in place to accommodate new businesses? Where are we with capacity with sewer, water, etc? Law enforcement, emergency services, city services? o Are we marketing correctly? (tourism – people – business) o Entrepreneurialism – do they have the resources, environment o Public/private partnerships o Regional approach – are we leveraging our surrounding assets? o Is the business community active and well organized? What is the support for new businesses? o Transportation – where is the accountability and who makes the decisions?  Need for economic assessment. (I missed who Dana was going to ask for further statistical info?)  Comparison areas – Ammon, region surround the study area: 14 counties, similarly sized urban area elsewhere in the state: Twin Falls, similarly sized rural area: Magic Valley  Three questions for the committee to address? 1. Is the current infrastructure and planned infrastructure sufficient for possible growth? a. How can we influence development to attract residential and commercial diversity to attract and retain the next generation of the workforce? b. Policy 2. Are we effectively marketing our strengths to attract and retain the next generation workforce? a. Policy 3. Are we fostering a business environment that is supportive of each phase of business development? a. Policy 8:00pm Adjourned Respectfully submitted, Chris Lee