Will Sisters have an Economic Development Director?

(This article originally appeared in the Nugget Newspaper 7/20/2010)

By Bill Mintiens The Sisters City Council budgeted and approved $30,000 for the 2010/2011 fiscal year for a part-time economic development director. The 2010/2011 fiscal year started on July 1. The money is there, the director is not. Back on May 6, Patty Vandiver, chamber of commerce president and SBART (Sisters Business Attraction and Retention Team) project manager, wrote a letter to the Sisters City Council stating, "The Sisters Country Chamber of Commerce would like to request the consideration of $30,000 to be budgeted into the 2010/2011 fiscal year for a part-time, paid position for an economic development director." Having just entered into their yearly budget cycle, the council dutifully discussed the proposal during budget committee meetings and decided to add the part-time position into the city's 2010/2011 budget. But councilors and budget committee members had reservations. Vandiver's proposal stated that the economic director should be "under direction of the Sisters Country Chamber of Commerce Executive Board of Directors." Councilor Sharlene Weed was a vocal opponent. "I'm not in favor of budgeting $30,000 for this position; it seems like an extravagance during these economic times," she said. "And besides, I have a lot of questions about the position, there are too many unknowns for me. And I'm not in favor of the person reporting to a committee." Chris Tosello, a budget committee member, agreed with Weed. "I think there are too many gray areas about the position right now; we need clarification," said Tosello. Council President Bill Merrill saw the proposal differently. "I would not object to leaving the $30,000 in the budget. But I want to be sure we go through a selection process utilizing people like Jason Carr (Prineville's economic development director) and Lee Smith (La Pine's industrial group manager) who are familiar with the process and needs of the position. And I'd like to see the Sisters chamber add some matching funds for the position. There are a lot of questions that need to be answered between the chamber and the city council," said Merrill. The council, clearly wanting clarification on the duties, responsibilities, and reporting structure of the position turned to Roger Lee of EDCO (Economic Development for Central Oregon) for assistance. EDCO helps to fund and manage economic development director positions in Redmond, Prineville, and Madras. Successful programs in both Prineville (acquisition of the Facebook facility) and Redmond (Altrec, T-Mobile, and several other businesses) give EDCO experience and credibility with hiring and management. When asked about EDCO's role in Sisters' hiring process, Roger Lee, in an e-mail dated June 25, wrote, "We are still trying to work out some of the logistical and legal details. Our board has officially not yet decided to proceed, however I don't see any real roadblocks. I expect that we will have a decision at our July 8 board meeting. Assuming that EDCO is involved as discussed, we would look to advertise, conduct interviews and ideally hire by the first week of August. I would expect that EDCO would coordinate the interviews, but that most of the hiring panel would be comprised of leaders in Sisters." EDCO's July 8 annual meeting, held at St. Charles Medical Center in Bend, went longer than expected, allowing the EDCO board no time for discussion. Roger Lee briefly mentioned the Sisters issue but tabled the discussion. Eileen Stein, Sisters city manager, thinks she understands what Lee means by "legal details." In an e-mail dated July 13, Stein wrote, "Last week Mayor Kellstrom asked me to give our legal counsel an agreement to review. It was an agreement between the city and EDCO relative to the position. So this is what the 'legal' issues probably are." Three weeks into the 2010/2011 fiscal year, there is no sign that Sisters is close to hiring an economic development director. Councilor Sharlene Weed, still opposed to the position and frustrated by the process, recently commented: "We have not had a proposal. What is the plan? Job description? Reporting structure? Measurable outcomes? I would rather use the funds to reenergize our Community Action Team... pay for a part-time director. That person could help 'stimulate' a number of community projects (leadership, outside voice, public art, etc.) as well as 'economic development.'"