Escalon forms Economic Development Committee, council appoints two citizen members plus two council liaisons

The Escalon City Council on June 16 established a three‑member Economic Development Committee and named two resident members after interviews.

Following interviews with five initial applicants, two withdrew from the interview process. The council appointed local business owners Zach Hogan and Jessica Wiley to the committee, and agreed to re‑advertise the remaining citizen seat. Council also selected council members to serve as the city’s representatives on the committee.

Hogan, a lifelong Escalon resident whose family operates a local business, told council he wants to help expand the city’s tax base while preserving Escalon’s small‑town character. Jessica Wiley, a local business owner and vice president of the Escalon Chamber of Commerce, said she would focus on lowering barriers for small proprietors and examining licensing and incentives that help brick‑and‑mortar businesses.

Councilors discussed the make‑up of the committee and whether to enlarge it from three members; several expressed interest in a broader membership but said the newly formed committee can be reconsidered later. With two citizen appointees seated and one vacancy remaining, council directed staff to re‑advertise the third citizen seat and invited remaining applicants to consider applying again.

Mayor Pro Tem Walker and other council members said the committee’s work will be coordinated with staff, the Chamber of Commerce and the planning commission to develop an economic development strategy and a possible Measure P investment program later in the fiscal year.