Illinois Valley News

Developing Josephine County“s economy is a daunting task, as the most recent unemployment figures are more than 14 percent, plus there are empty storefronts throughout Downtown Grants Pass and many businesses struggling to simply hang on.

But fortunately for Michael Smith, he will not be alone in developing a plan to move the county“s economy into the future.

Smith serves as the business and community development manager in Josephine County for Medford-based Southern Oregon Regional Economic Development Inc. (SOREDI). As part of SOREDI“s contract with the county, Smith is developing a long-term economic development plan, a guideline that the county does not have.

To enhance his efforts, Smith has assembled a 20-member economic development steering committee. It recently held an organizational meeting, with a follow-up due Wednesday, June 30.

The committee includes Gail Gasso from the Oregon Employment Dept., two real estate agents, an insurance agent, representatives from the building and health-care industries and others, Smith said. Illinois Valley is represented by Kenny Houck, of I.V. Community Development Organization, and Rough & Ready Lumber Co. president “Link“ Phillippi.

Ad-hoc subcommittees on areas such as tourism and workforce development may be formed, Smith said, but added that the group“s work should be completed in approximately six months.

Another of the committee“s core missions, Smith said, is to establish criteria for the economic development grants allocated by county officials.

“There needs to be an objective evaluation, because there“s never been that,“ Smith said. “As much as the commissioners have done a commendable job weeding through those projects, there needs to be an evaluation, not a popularity contest.“

Under such a process, economic development grants will be awarded based on business plans, budgets and other data, Smith said.

Unlike many similar groups, Smith said, the committee is not sanctioned by the county. Officially, it is a SOREDI committee.

“We just all decided that it would probably be a more effective process without it being a county committee,“ he said. “But it will still operate in the light of day and completely out in the open.“

The committee“s next meeting is set for 4:30 p.m. on June 30 at the Job Council“s new office in Parkway Village Plaza in Grants Pass. Smith said that the committee will establish priority items at that meeting, which is open to the public.

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