The Board of Supervisors just
approved the CEQA (California Environmental Quality Act) report on our brand new
countywide Enterprise Zone. This includes almost every commercially zoned property in the
county – including the unincorporated areas. Benefits to existing and new businesses
include: state tax credits for new employees, sales tax credits on machinery, benefits to
lenders to zone businesses, and preference points on state contracts. The new countywide
zone was a joint project supported by every city and the County. It replaces the prior
Shasta Valley EZ. (Find out more about EZ benefits online at: http://www.siskiyoucounty.org/
or call the Siskiyou County Economic
Development Council at 842-1638.)
Now that we have one large ingredient to help attract and retain
business, we are looking at others. The County has applied for grant funding to implement
a phased strategic assessment of water and sewer systems (or lack thereof) and project
development in the unincorporated areas of the county. We are awaiting word any day now as
to whether phase one will be grant funded. There are also water and sewer grants available
for local cities. (Contact 842-6123 Ext. 112 for more information.)
What else are we doing for businesses? Community Health Plan of the
Siskiyous has developed a local, affordable small employer insurance product. (Contact
938-9500.) The College of the Siskiyous (COS)
is building its new medical training center in Yreka. COS has a firefighting academy and a
new law enforcement training program. Also, there are several certificated programs for
various skills. We now have fire safe councils all over the county working toward safer
fire conditions in the Wildland Urban Interface.This helps to build a skilled workforce
and safe and healthy communities.
There is a huge countywide substance abuse coalition working on
strategic planning. We have First Five, the Community Services Council and 10
Family/Community Resource Centers helping to strengthen families and communities. There is
a brand new committee on aging. Both Leadership Siskiyou and the Ford Family Foundation
provide wonderful leadership and community development opportunities throughout the
county. Our Siskiyou Arts Council is helping
artists to enrich our culture. We are taking care of business to ensure our communities
are attractive small towns in which to live.
But where is the spark that ignites economic development? I saw a
glimpse of it when business representatives from throughout the county joined together to
voice support for the new EZ at the Board of Supervisors meeting last week. It
demonstrated to me that the momentum is there. We can do this!
Recently, at a retreat for Ford Family Foundation Leadership
graduates, Mike Stotle of the Center for Innovative and Entrepreneurial Leadership (CIEL)
spoke about “constipated communities.” These are communities that are stuck and
not moving forward. Generally, they are looking to something external to save them –
government, a big business, etc. Stotle has worked with these communities to help them
harness the energies of local talent and understand that solutions must be homegrown http://www.theciel.com/
Communities can get stuck in silos – groups that bond together,
such as the ranching group, the museum group, the rodeo group, the fire group, the school
group, the watershed group, etc. They become schizophrenic –pulling people and
resources in different directions with competing agendas.
It is communities that bridge these groups and collaborate together that are
most vital and innovative.
Communities can move through different stages: 1) chaos and conflict;
2) non-cooperation and paralysis; 3) planning, strategizing and vision; 4) integration,
innovation and learning culture. It is this last stage that brings economic vitality.
Where is your community on the matrix? (Community self-assessment tool http://www.theciel.com/tools.php) What can you
do to move your community forward? |
