By Patrick Tepoorten

Strengthening the existing business community, expanding the non-residential tax base, job creation, and maintaining affordable housing for seniors lead the 2006 agenda for the Chisago County Housing Redevelopment Authority/Economic Development Authority (HRA-EDA). Director Chris Eng recently updated the Chisago County board on his plans for economic and community development for 2006.

Economic Development

For the EDA, Eng envisions the continuing pursuit to establish a ìBorder Cities Development Zoneî (BCDZ) in the Taylors Falls area as one of his primary goals. ìThere is a huge discrepancy between Taylors Falls and St. Croix Falls (Wisc.)î he noted. Indeed, while St. Croix Falls continues to enjoy rapid commercial expansion, Taylors Falls has remained fairly stagnant over the years.

To combat that trend, a BCDZ could be instrumental in offering incentives that make the Minnesota side of the St. Croix river a more attractive locale for businesses seeking a home.

Eng also continues to support the creation of a business network in the county as a vehicle to save costs. Shared transportation costs, combined purchasing power, and local business relying on other local business are areas that Eng believes can save Chisago County industry money over the long haul.

Part and parcel to that is the creation of jobs within the county. Today, roughly 80 percent of the county workforce commutes to jobs outside of the county each and every day. It is a figure Eng plans to work to reduce. Eng would like to see skilled workers utilized within the county to a greater degree as well as creating training opportunities as a way to give people the tools to become a skilled labor force within the county.

In order to put those skills to work right here, Eng intends to devote 2006 to expanding the commercial/industrial tax base in the county. In that vein, Eng plans a substantive marketing strategy to entice business to the area. It will target and solicit specific business that ìenhance not competeî with the current business community. Help with Tax Increment Financing (TIF) districts and tax abatement measures for purposes of infrastructure improvements are instrumental to that as well.

While working with cities and townships within the county to create opportunity, Eng also plans to encourage business to invest in their future. Low interest loans are a vehicle to encourage expansion, and tax incentives ìwith an emphasis on new recruiting and retaining high-tech, high-wage paying jobs in the county,î are some areas which Eng intends to put his focus.

In the larger picture, Eng sees a great opportunity for Chisago County to take advantage of coming technology based business. In order to attract those companies, Eng would like to create a county-wide technology revolving loan fund. Such a program could be used for low interest loans, a seed-fund to encourage spending on technology, and even for infrastructure.

Again, Eng used Taylors Falls as an example. He sees Taylors Falls as well positioned to attract technology companies looking to build a campus. With little frontage along U.S. Hwy. 8 and limited attractive commercial real estate, technology based business would be a very good fit in that city. But, as Eng points out, without necessary infrastructure like broadband access, and the deeper tax incentives in Wisconsin, attracting technology-based business to the area now is a tough sell.

It isnít only Taylors Falls that Eng considers though, as he makes plans to attract technology to the county. He would like to identify attractive areas countywide and is working on completing a ìworkforce study,î in conjunction with Chisago County Health and Human Services, to show potential companies what Chisago County workers have to offer.

Another area in which a workforce study could be valuable is with existing business. Eng noted that, while registered nurses in the county commute to the Twin Cities to work, Fairview Medical Center in Wyoming continues to struggle with a shortage of the same. A study of the local work force could not only identify potential employees, it could identify some of the reasons it is more attractive to drive to the cities rather than work locally. With that information, the county and business would have a better idea what is needed to reverse that trend.

Community Development

In the area of housing redevelopment, Eng sees the completion of the 20-unit senior housing development and community center in Rush City as a solid goal the county will reach in June. And, while that goal is being completed to the north, to the southeast Eng plans to work with Taylors Falls to rehabilitate substandard rental and commercial properties through the use of the cityís recently acquired Small Cities Redevelopment Grant (see story on pg. 6). The grant, $308,550, will be used to set up a revolving loan fund with low interest rates and loan forgiveness.

The HRA will also work to acquire Rush Estates I and II Senior Apartments in Rush City and Pinewood Senior Apartments in Harris. Doing so would allow the county to maintain the facilities as affordable housing for seniors.