by Bradley Parsons
Staff Writer
After two months spent reviewing every aspect of its own operations, the JEDC unveiled Thursday a partially-assembled plan to streamline its staff and change the City’s approach to economic development.
Kirk Wendland, the Jacksonville Economic Development Commission’s executive director, presented drafts of a strategic plan, performance measurements and a scoring system for possible projects to the commission’s first full meeting since Mayor John Peyton ordered a 60-day freeze on City development incentives.
Peyton ordered the moratorium to give the JEDC time to tailor its operations to a list of objectives laid out by the mayor. JEDC chair Ceree Harden called the plan presented Thursday “a work in progress,” and commissioners immediately requested changes.
Several commissioners questioned whether the plan adequately addressed the mayor’s objectives, particularly Peyton’s charges that the commission do a better job encouraging small businesses and investment into economically distressed areas.
“The most glaring omission I saw was the focus on distressed areas,” said commissioner Charles Appleby, who led the commission’s review of its finances.
At Appleby’s urging, the commission amended the plan to specify distressed areas as a target for economic development. The commission debated the plan for more than an hour with with suggestions ranging from semantics to more substantial changes in methods to hold the JEDC accountable for the incentive dollars it spends. The commission unanimously passed the amended strategic plan.
Harden said the JEDC will work with the mayor’s office to refine the plan before presenting the final version for approval at next month’s commission meeting. The plan will also require City Council approval.
Council member Mia Jones promised a thorough review of the plan’s approach to encouraging small businesses. Jones and Commissioner Susan Hartley, who led the JEDC’s review of its small business development, favored more direct financial involvement while Wendland said the biggest difference could be made by improving the general economic climate for all small business owners.
“We kind of had a debate about this on whether we’re better off incenting 20 businesses, creating two jobs each or if we’re better off incenting companies with 100 employees that are generally the kind of companies that support small businesses by buying their products and services.
“We arrived at the conclusion that, rather than incent those 10 or 20 small businesses, let’s do something to help the existing 16,000,” said Wendland.
Wendland said he wanted the JEDC to get more involved in counseling and training small business owners. The JEDC’s new proposed staff includes a Small Business Development Chief.
Hartley said small businesses should receive a bump on scorecards the JEDC will use to determine eligibility for incentives. Peyton specifically identified small business growth as an area he wanted to improve, but the proposed scorecard carries no mention of it.
“The part I’m having heartburn with is all the primary objectives appear on the scorecard except small businesses,” said Hartley. The scorecards credit projects if they fulfill the other objectives: increasing average wages; encouraging private capital investment; promoting investment in economically distressed areas; promoting a healthy downtown.
Wendland also presented a plan to cut his 40-person staff by eight. The new organization cuts two of three project managers from the Sports and Entertainment Division and cuts the International Development Division entirely, eliminating two jobs. A vacant position at the head of Site Development will also be cut. The remaining cuts will come when three contract positions with the Super Bowl Host Committee expire next March.