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City staff give Hillsboro 101 briefing on economic-development strategy, workforce and revenue uses
Summary
City economic-development staff reviewed the policy basis, industry targets and workforce programs that drive Hillsboro's strategy for jobs, diversification and revenue. The presentation outlined how incentives and gain-share funds have supported parks, scholarships and municipal broadband.
City of Hillsboro economic-development staff delivered a training-style briefing on Feb. 18 that summarized the city’s policy framework, industry focus and workforce efforts and showed how incentive programs contribute to city revenues and community projects.
The presentation, billed as a Hillsboro “101” session, traced most program authority to state law—citing Oregon statutes that enable the Strategic Investment Program, enterprise zones and tax-increment/urban renewal tools—then tied those programs to the city’s 20-year planning documents such as the Hillsboro comprehensive plan and the South Hillsborough community plan.
Staff said the city pursues a mix of traded-sector, advanced manufacturing and technology employers while also investing in community economic development—workforce, small-business support and downtown revitalization. “We do workforce development across industries,” a presenter said, noting both semiconductor-related jobs and food processing, construction and health-care roles as part of that mix.
The briefing highlighted five reasons the city prioritizes economic development: diversification and resilience; economic opportunity for residents; municipal fiscal stability; generating tax revenues for services; and the ability to remain a full-service city. Staff showed examples of investments funded in part by incentive-related gain-share or SIP dollars, naming Hidden Creek Community Park (the Oro inclusive playground), municipal broadband, and the PCC Future Connect scholarship program as projects supported by redirected incentive proceeds.
Staff also presented data (most recently available through 2023) showing Hillsboro’s employment concentration: roughly one in three jobs located in the city are in manufacturing, Hillsboro supplies about 27% of the state’s high-tech employment, and manufacturing employment includes a substantial direct employment number tied to a single major employer staff identified as about 21,000 jobs. Staff said those employment figures refer to jobs located in Hillsboro, not necessarily residents who live in the city.
Presenters described ongoing business-development work—company visits, retention and recruitment—and noted Hillsboro’s active foreign direct investment and recent company expansions. Staff emphasized that while major employers help the city access SIP/gain-share dollars that in turn fund community projects, the economic-development program also supports small-business and entrepreneurship initiatives that produce annual contributions to local programs.
The briefing closed with staff noting that much of the detailed implementation—site readiness in North Hillsboro, downtown small-business outreach, and workforce partnerships—would be further discussed in subsequent sections and meetings.
Ending: Staff said the presentation was intended to inform council and the public and to invite further questions; staff offered follow-up briefings on specific neighborhoods, workforce strategies and incentive details.
