Friday, December 22, 2006

Local businesses want more incentives

Many enterprises are choosing to relocate


By STEVE BENSON
Express Staff Writer

Some Wood River Valley business operators believe that local governments are stingy on incentives and discourage expansion by nature of their strict development standards, according to Julie Oxarango-Ingram, director of the Hailey Chamber of Commerce.

Oxarango-Ingram met with the Blaine County Commission Tuesday, Dec. 19, to discuss the outcome of a quarterly meeting with the Southern Idaho Economic Development Organization (SIEDO), which the county and city of Hailey have contracted to boost local business opportunities. Oxarango-Ingram is the county's SIEDO liaison.

But discussion eventually centered on concerns that were expressed by local business operators during a recent meeting with Jima Rice, a Blaine County Planning and Zoning commissioner who is spearheading efforts to support and enhance local business.

"There was a lot of talk about businesses feeling as if they're not supported by various governments in terms of incentives," Oxarango-Ingram said about a recent meeting with Rice and various business representatives. "Other places are offering it, and they're starting to see the writing on the wall. We've heard it enough from businesses that it is starting to raise some alarm."

She said business owners looking to expand feel like they "have to jump through as many hoops as a regular developer would," which is driving many away.

"What they're saying is, 'We're not developers. We have a different goal, so asking us to jump through all of those same hoops is not realistic, and can we sit down and get creative?'" Oxarango-Ingram said.

She added that the issue is compounded by the high cost of living in the area, which is increasingly shrinking the pool of entry-level employees in Blaine County.

"Higher-end jobs don't have a problem getting filled because they can afford to live here," she said. "But entry-level and mid-level is getting hard. They can't afford to own a home here."

The discussion stemmed into the possibility for construction of a new town in southern Blaine County.

"That new town is starting to sound a lot better," Commissioner Dennis Wright said, referring to a conceptual proposal to erect an entirely new town from scratch near Timmerman Hill south of Bellevue.

Wright is a supporter of the concept for many reasons, one of which is the ample low-cost, entry-level housing it could provide.

"Many (business owners) said the new town sounds intriguing to them," Oxarango-Ingram said.




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