It's all about bringing in more business

Officials want an outside panel to suggest ways to improve rules related to growth.

By Chuin-Wei Yap, Times Staff Writer
Published March 4, 2008

The Pasco Economic Development Council and county officials are proposing a blue-ribbon panel made up of urban planning experts to recommend how to improve Pasco's business attraction regulations.

The County Commission is due to hear the proposal next Tuesday, which comes at a cost of $115,000 for a five-day panel. The tab is split equally between the council and the county; the county's contribution will come from savings in its growth management department, not new funds.

The Urban Land Institute, a 72-year-old association that includes some of the world's biggest names in the real estate industry, will provide nine to 11 panelists, and up to five staff members for its Pasco session, council chairman Stewart Gibbons said Monday.

The institute's Advisory Services Panel has organized about 450 such panels since 1947, he said. In Florida, they've worked on the growth strategy for Osceola County.

The slate for Pasco's panel hasn't been confirmed yet but will comprise senior management or chief executive-level representatives from a range of planning disciplines, including transportation, urban regulation and economic development.

"The ULI assembled such a panel of 12 to 15 people for post-Hurricane Katrina work in rebuilding New Orleans," Gibbons said.

These panelists will come up with recommendations at the end of the five-day stint, tentatively scheduled for April 20-25.

The proposed timing chimes in with the county's own efforts to grapple with tough budget times, said Mary Jane Stanley, the council's executive director.

April is roughly when Pasco officials would be clearer on how they plan to achieve a voter-mandated 10 percent cut in the county's ad valorem budget.

The panel will conduct about 150 interviews with local policymakers, economic development officials, environmentalists, education officials, chambers of commerce and businesses, including past prospects that have opted not to invest in Pasco.

Among other questions, the panel will ask whether Pasco's fee structures are reasonable, what kind of incentives would help and whether its regulations are friendly to business.

Their recommendations will be publicized on the last day of the panel's stint, after a closed briefing to the sponsors, said Michele Baker, Pasco's chief assistant county administrator.

These questions are better answered by people more removed from Pasco's day-to-day work on development issues, Gibbons said.

"It's easier for third parties to be independent in their fact-finding," he said.

Chuin-Wei Yap can be reached at cyap@sptimes.com or 813 909-4613.

[Last modified March 3, 2008, 21:33:46]