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EDC outlines hiring of part‑time analyst and plan for 12‑hour RiverCOG consultant scope
Summary
The commission discussed recruiting a budgeted part‑time economic development analyst (proposed $23/hour, 8 hours/week) and how to use a 12‑hour RiverCOG consultant engagement to survey commercial vacancies; commissioners agreed the analyst should produce baseline data for the consultant to act on.
The Economic Development Commission reviewed a budgeted, part‑time economic development analyst role and how best to use a limited 12‑hour RiverCOG consultant engagement to scope commercial vacancy issues.
Commissioners said the analyst position was adjusted to increase hourly pay to $23 while reducing weekly hours to 8 so the town stays within a $10,000 annual budget. Committee members said HR (Jennifer) will arrange interviews and that the commission — including Jeff and Joe — will participate in the final candidate interviews.
"We increased the rate of pay to $23 an hour and reduced the budget to 8 hours per week. That allows us to stay within the $10,000 budget," a committee member said. Commissioners discussed receiving about five local applicants and several out‑of‑state candidates; HR will schedule interviews for the finalists.
On the RiverCOG consultant time, members debated whether 12 hours is enough for a broad study. Some argued for a targeted qualitative outreach to a short list of key property owners to learn why certain spaces remain dormant; others suggested the new analyst should first flesh out a baseline inventory and then hand the refined scope to RiverCOG for focused work. The chair summarized the approach as: give the analyst Cheryl's spreadsheet as the "skeleton," have the analyst flesh it out, and then provide that material to RiverCOG to scope the consultant's limited hours.
"What I'm hoping is that the consultant time from them will be a catalyst to what exactly might be the channels that we could provide products and services," the chair said. The commission agreed the consultant engagement can be used through Dec. 31 and emphasized designing a targeted scope to avoid duplicating prior work.
Why it matters: Hiring a dedicated analyst and using a targeted consultant engagement are intended to give the town actionable information about commercial vacancies and where the EDC can most effectively focus limited staff and consulting resources.
What’s next: HR will schedule candidate interviews; the commission will finalize whether RiverCOG runs a targeted outreach or a broader landscape brief once the analyst produces an updated baseline inventory.
