Introduction

During the June 5th – June 8th Economic Development Community Conversations, the City received thousands of useful comments and ideas on important community values for potential revisions to the current economic development policy. If you would like to learn more about where we are in the process of gathering community input and drafting a policy revision, please visit our website www.austintexas.gov/investinaustin.  If you have any questions or need more context prior to completing the survey, please contact David Colligan, Manager of Global Business Expansion with the City of Austin.

To start, here is what it means to the community to live and work in a prosperous Austin economy:

Live:
a.  Economic inequity continues to widen the gap of prosperity in Austin.
b.  Decreasing affordability and the rising cost of living is an important risk factor for community members suffering from “sticker shock” and the inability to grow their businesses within the current cost climate.  Affordable commercial and creative space are among the leading concerns that have the potential to erode the success of business enterprises both new and established.
c.  The role of local government can be defined as providing regulatory support, simplistic compliance structure, financial partnerships for programs that support the community and tools/programs that are accessible, well-publicized, and reflective of needs that may not necessarily include financial support.
d.  Transportation affects every aspect of the lives of citizens, businesses and neighborhoods.  A comprehensive vision for the future of Austin’s transportation and transit infrastructure is needed to ensure the workforce can physically access jobs, enjoy a wide variety of transit modes and better connect a sprawling city to neighborhood centers.
e.  A new perspective is needed for commercial and mixed use developments to better unite where people work, play and live. Housing that is both affordable and plentiful is required to drive available supply up and push prices down to match income levels.

Work:
f.  Economic diversity insulates Austin against future downturns by supporting a wide range of business sizes and industries to offer a balanced, diversified economic base.  Increased support is needed for small and local business in the form of city partnerships, access to funding, training, and fostering stronger collaboration.  This also points to the need for a wider range of wages and job types to include more middle-skill and middle-income roles to help close the equity gap.
g.  Culture and the strength of the creative sector run deep within the Austin success story and should be a growing, not shrinking, part of the Austin economy as the market expands.  This includes the need for the public to access the creative community that is well weaved within the culture, economy and job base.
h.  Talent and workforce investment programs that are accessible, attractive and meet both employer and community demands are necessary in narrowing the prosperity gap.
i.  Cooperation and collaboration are needed on a macro-level (city) and micro-level (business/industry).  The city should focus on honing its strategic vision to unify the needs of citizens, businesses and neighborhoods.  Businesses and community members could benefit from an improved organized effort to collaborate, share ideas and pool resources.

Now, let's dive deeper.

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* 1. Part 1: Potential Portfolio of Chapter 380 Programs:

In the new vision of an incentive policy that supports Austin’s business needs, each program would have a purpose. This policy would establish and provide for the administration of one or more programs, including programs for making loans and grants of public money and providing personnel and services of the municipality, to promote state or local economic development and to stimulate business and commercial activity in Austin.

Click here to read the summaries of each potential new program.  (NOTE: you may want to print this page, or leave it open on a separate tab to reference later on in the survey)

Once you have read the summaries of each potential new program, type "Yes" to continue to the next question.

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* 2. Part 2: Existing Policy Criteria/Requirements:

Please review current minimum requirements for a Chapter 380 incentive agreements:

a) Desired Development Zone (Resolution 20030612-015): The project must be in Austin’s Desired Development Zone which includes most of north, central, south and east Austin but excludes the environmentally sensitive areas in west Austin. Click here to view Desired Development Zone map.
b) Environmental Regulations (Resolution 20050113-052): The applicant conducts its business in Austin in compliance with Austin’s current water quality regulations and agrees to comply with Austin’s water quality regulations in any future development.
c) Workers Compensation Insurance & OSHA 10 Training (Resolution 20131024-056): All construction workers hired for construction of the project will be provided Workers Compensation Insurance and OSHA 10 Training.
d) City of Austin’s MBE/WBE Ordinance (Resolution 20120112-058): The project will comply with the City of Austin’s MBE/WBE Ordinance through the Minority-Owned and Women-Owned Business Enterprise Procurement Program.
e) Prevailing Wage (Resolution 20131024-056): All construction work on the project must comply with the City’s established prevailing wage program that is used on City of Austin public works projects. Unless living wage is exempted through the exception process, the City of Austin’s living wage will apply to any prevailing wage classification that falls below the living wage.
f) Living Wage (Resolution 20131024-056): The Firm will ensure that all workers are paid at least the City of Austin’s living wage, including full-time employees, contract employees, and construction workers hired for construction work to develop the project.
g) Domestic Partnership Benefits (Resolution 20090806-037): The Firm will extend benefits to domestic partners or employees and their dependents. The Firm's policy should reflect the definition of a domestic partner as an individual who lives in the same household and shares the common resources of life in a close, personal, intimate relationship with an employee if under Texas law the individual would not be prevented from marrying the employee on account of age, consanguinity or prior undissolved marriage to another. A domestic partner may be of the same, or opposite, gender as the employee. (Exception available)
h) Health Insurance Benefits: The Firm will provide health insurance benefits for all new full-time employees. (Exception available)
i) Property Tax Appeals (Resolution 20141211-221): If a Firm successfully appeals its property valuation resulting in a lower value, the project must be reassessed to determine whether it is still revenue-positive for the City, and if the project is no longer revenue-positive, City Council may adjust the amount of the incentive commensurate with the reduction in valuation.

Please match the criteria you think should apply to the potential new programs.

  Desired Development Zone Environmental Regulations Workers Compensation Insurance & OSHA 10 Training City of Austin's MBE/WBE Ordinance Prevailing Wage Living Wage Domestic Partnership Benefits Health Insurance Benefits
Business Recruitment / Business Expansion Grant Program
Business Recruitment / Business Expansion Loan Program
Small Business Grant Program
Small Business Loan Program
Creative Sector Grant Program
Creative Sector Loan Program
Workforce Development Grant Program
Workforce Development Loan Program
Real Estate Grant Program
Real Estate Loan Program
Social Enterprise Grant Program
Social Enterprise Loan Program

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* 3. Part 3: Community Values

Overarching community values emerged during the Economic Development Policy Community Conversations (i.e., what’s important for a revised Chapter 380 Incentive Policy.)  

Click here to read the Economic Development Policy Community Values.

Once you have read the Community Values, please apply each of these community values to each potential new incentive program discussed above.  In each box, please fill in the response that indicates how important that value is within the context of the potential new incentive programs. 

Enter your responses using this code:
  • VI = Very Important
  • I = Important
  • NI = Not Important

  Business Recruitment / Business Expansion Program Small Business Program Creative Sector Program Workforce Development Program Real Estate Development Program Social Enterprise Program
Value 1: Government Role: Connector, Investor, Path-Clearer
Value 2: Focus on Equity: Employment Opportunities for All
Value 3: Unify the Community Through Collaboration
Value 4: Train, Recruit and Retain Local Workforce and Talent
Value 5: Support Austin’s Culture, Creative Sector and Community Identity
Value 6: Incentivize, Support, Staff and Train Small Businesses
Value 7: Build Affordable, Livable, and Accessible Development
Value 8: Impact Business Growth
Value 9: Control Affordability
Value 10: Economic Diversity

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* 4. What is your zip code? (Either residence or place of work)

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* 5. What is your industry? (Check all that apply)

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* 6. What is your company/organization name?

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* 7. Is your organization for-profit or non-profit?

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* 8. What is the number of employees in your organization/company? (Employed in Austin)

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* 9. How many years have you lived/worked in Austin?

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* 10. Is there anything else you would like to add?

T