Estacada economic panel approves 12-month action plan, asks council to consider larger study

The Estacada Economic Development Commission voted to approve a 12-month action plan on the final page of the document it had been reviewing, and agreed to ask the City Council to consider budgeting for a larger comprehensive economic development study.

Commissioners approved the minutes from the previous meeting by voice vote before taking up discussion of the document the commission had previously called a "strategic plan." After debate, the commission replaced the phrase "strategic plan" with "12-month action plan," approved the revised single-page action plan at the meeting and agreed to present its goals and budget requests to the council on April 28 at 6 p.m.

The move follows objections from a subcommittee that reviewed the draft plan and concluded it was not deep enough to serve as a multi-year strategic roadmap. "If we just went ahead and approved what was presented, we're not really doing our job," said Commissioner Cross, who led the subcommittee and said he had moved to rescind the commission's prior acceptance of the draft plan. That rescission was discussed but did not go to a formal vote; instead the body amended the document into a one-year work plan and approved that version.

Elena Turpin, the city's assistant city manager, told the commission that the city code requires advisory committees to present a project plan and a budget to council in April. "It is in the city code related to all advisory committees that…