County staff reviews economic development toolbox; commissioners press for hiring and equity data

Kendra Davis, with the commissioner's office, told the Board the county's economic development function is largely delivered through outside partners, naming Arapahoe/Douglas Works and regional economic development councils as primary supports. “And so currently, the county has 10 incentive agreements, with 6 different businesses,” Davis said, summarizing the program's scale and an average refund level staff reported over recent years.

The presentation described how Arapahoe County supplements partner work with memberships, sponsorships and a case-by-case business personal property tax incentive that requires applicants to demonstrate jobs, median wages and capital investment. Davis walked commissioners through examples used in neighboring counties—Adams, Boulder, Douglas, Jefferson and Weld—to show how other jurisdictions staff economic development, budget for membership and run incentive policies.

Commissioners pressed staff for more demographic and access data before refining county policy. Commissioner Rhonda Fields said the board should look at whether incentive recipients hire from nearby, economically distressed districts and how workers would reach job sites by transit: “I'm just wondering how we're tying some of these initiatives to getting some people not just off the street into a house, temporary housing, but how can we align some of these initiatives where we're really getting them a job and maybe eventually getting them housing so that we're not just we're housing homeless people,” Fields said.

Staff and a county Community Resources representative (Kathy Smith) said district-level employment, education and demographic statistics can be produced and, when appropriate, staff can work with businesses to get statistically valid hiring information. Commissioners suggested specific priorities (childcare, affordable housing, permitting reduction and procurement favoring locally owned businesses) that staff should scope into a formal incentive policy and implementation plan.

Next steps: staff will return with a more detailed incentive-policy proposal and data on the demographics and district origins of hires where feasible, plus an options paper on tools such as a county revitalization authority or property-tax incentives for childcare.