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Legislator urges committee to adopt measurable economic development goals tied to 1998 charter
Summary
Legislator Fred Larson asked the Planning & Economic Development Committee to begin setting specific, measurable goals and timelines — such as making an industrial park 'shovel-ready' by a stated date — and said the 1998 county charter envisions the legislature providing budget parameters to the executive.
A legislator urged the Planning & Economic Development Committee to begin producing specific, measurable economic-development goals that the county and its Industrial Development Agency (IDA) can use to guide budget and acquisition decisions.
Fred Larson, Legislator, told the committee he circulated a "sample 2025–2026 economic development goals, objectives, and measurements" and suggested committee members bring their own proposals to the February meeting. He told the committee the 1998 county charter, the county code and the Legislature’s rules call for the Legislature to set goals and objectives annually and to provide measurable targets so the executive can incorporate them into the September budget preparation cycle.
Larson used the example of the South County Industrial Park’s 60-acre site and the Ripley site, saying the committee should identify concrete deliverables — for example, having roads, sewer, water, gas, electric and storm sewer in place by a stated date — so the county can judge whether objectives are met. "If you can't measure it, it's probably not gonna get done," Larson said.
Legislator Johnson, a newer member, said he would like a copy of the 1998 charter and agreed that the Legislature typically receives an executive-led budget with little prior direction. Other legislators supported the idea, noting that agendas and resolutions often respond to executive requests rather than setting proactive legislative parameters.
Mark Geiss, Deputy County Executive for Economic Development, was expected to present to the committee in February and support staff assistance in translating goals into measurable objectives.
No formal vote was taken; committee members asked staff to present a plan for February that would allow the Legislature to produce annual goals in time to influence the 2025 budget process.
