Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Economic Development topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
City staff present target-sector analysis; commissioners ask for demographic disaggregation and community‑college inclusion
Summary
City staff returned to HREC with a final target-sector analysis intended to guide Bend's growth-plan update. The presentation summarized sector performance and recommended target sectors for economic development. Commissioners asked for demographic disaggregation of employment data and for community-college workforce pathway input.
City economic-development staff briefed the Human Rights & Equity Commission on a consultant report identifying target economic sectors for Bend and described next steps for using the analysis to support an update of the city's comprehensive growth plan.
Damian Strandick (presenting for the team) said the analysis relies primarily on the Oregon Employment Department's Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW) and NAICS industry classifications. The report identifies sectors that have shown job growth in Bend, summarizes average wages by sector and offers suggestions for implementation and community engagement. Strandick said staff will present the sector recommendations to city council on April 2 and then prepare a request for proposals to hire a consultant to update the city's comprehensive plan (advanced comprehensive plan / growth plan).
Commissioners raised concerns about how the sector analysis intersects with equity and housing. Commissioner Agatha Ventura asked whether the data can be disaggregated by worker demographics to show which groups hold better‑paying local jobs and which are concentrated in low‑pay sectors. Commissioner Linda Heamer highlighted wage differences in the consultant exhibit (scientific/technical services averages near $93,000 in 2022 compared with accommodation and food services averages below $30,000) and warned that targeting hospitality or retail without housing and commute strategies can exacerbate inequities because many lower‑wage workers commute from surrounding towns.
Staff said the underlying QCEW wage data do not include employee demographic breakdowns and that the consultant report does include implementation recommendations and comparisons to peer cities. David Sernick and Cyrus Mooney (city/business advocacy staff) said the analysis will inform housing, transportation and land‑use elements of the growth plan and that staff will pursue community engagement and stakeholder outreach as implementation next steps. Commissioners asked staff to incorporate Central Oregon Community College (COCC) and local workforce pathways and to consider brownfields remediation and state funding programs referenced in the presentation.
Why it matters: Target sectors feed the city's growth‑plan and land‑use work, which affects housing, transportation and job access. Commissioners asked staff to ensure equity and workforce pathways are integrated into implementation rather than only using the analysis for economic targeting.
What happened next: Staff will present the sector recommendations to council on April 2, prepare an RFP for a growth‑plan consultant, and continue follow‑up discussions with HREC on disaggregated data and stakeholder engagement.
