2005-02-14 Regular Meeting and Public Hearing Meeting of the La Porte City Council minutes

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TheB re SUIl -)Iume 62, NO. 69 'Serving The DaJwl:ttJ/i:~A.rea Since 1947: SUNDAY, AUGUST 29, 2004 6 Pages - SO Ce Economic Developftleflt Is A 'Vital Ingredient' In La Porte (Editor's Note: The following is La Porte City Manager Debra Feazelle's quarterly column in this newspaper, outlining various aspects of city government.) By DEBRA FEAZELLE Special To The Sun Economic development is a vital ingredient to any community's success. Boosting economic devel- opment creates jobs by generating new industry and retaining existing companies to expand. La Porte's economic conditions have seen an impact from the national downturn. The city is making every effort to take a con- servative stance to cushion the effects of the economic slowdown. Diversifying the revenue stream that has traditionally relied on the petrochemical industry is a major initiative of the city. We are focusing more than ever on busi- ness recruitment and tourism development. The City has expanded its partners to include The Alliance (formally known as Southeast Economic Development) and Bay Area Houston Partnership for economic development and marketing ser- vices. The majority of cities across Texas rely heavily on sales tax as a major contributor to their revenues. La Porte only receives about 8 percent of our revenues from sales taxes. This is a very small percent- age, compared to 36 percent from property taxes and 29 percent from in-lieu of taxes we collected in 2003. Recruiting new businesses would ease the burden on property taxes, which in turn would allow the property tax base to remain constant while improving city services to our citizens. The city council has determined that revitalization of downtown is an integral part of the city's economic development efforts, and a way to diversify the revenue stream. by enhancing the shopping opportunities downtown, both exist- ing and new. We are currently in the process of submitting an application into the Texas Main Street Program. Acceptance into this program will open the door for possible grants, low-interest loans for business owners, and professional revitaliza- tion assistance from the state. The new downtown revitalization coordinator is working diligently meeting with individuals and groups alike explaining what Main Street is all about and determining their immediate needs. We are working diligently to improve the image of our community and services. City council wishes to offer a vigorous, diversified economy that is based upon a pro-growth business environment. We are focusing on offering a full spectrum of retail, health, transportation, and business services that meet the needs of the community. It is important for the business world to know the City of La Porte is a business-friendly community. We must entice businesses to consider our community by selling our key benefits -- i.e. affordable housing, quality schools, recreation- al amenities, and low crime rates. We look forward to providing quality services to our community. We will work hard to recruit quality businesses that will serve our community well. Boosting our economy will in turn boost our tourism development. An increase in tourism development will increase patrons to our local hoteVmotels and increase our sales tax revenue. A spurt in economic development is a chain reaction to great things. The future of La Porte is bright and the possibilities are endless.