The City of Santa Clarita is not sitting idle, waiting for the recession to pass. Elements of the 21-Point Plan for Progress – an initiative to reinvigorate the economy in the midst of the financial downturn, approved by the City Council in April – are already underway. ?oon city buses will be wrapped with advertising that reads ?hinksantaclaritavalley.com? said Jason Crawford, Santa Clarita’s economic development manager. The website will be debuting later this month and weekly Twitter updates will keep the community informed about special offers and discounts from participating businesses. Also, the city has already allocated money to subsidize building permits for companies relocating to the area and will pay up to $10,000 worth of permit fees for a company bringing in high quality jobs, Crawford said. The city has also begun to expedite the process for new businesses that need to acquire permits. When it comes to the entertainment industry, as of July 1, the city will pay for all permit fees for film and television productions that shoot in the city more than six times in a year, Crawford said. A rebate program will give back half of the hotel tax generated from long-term film stays. Additionally, in a boost to local businesses, a measure that changes the way city contracts are issued is awaiting a final vote from the council. Although the city is obliged by law to contract with the lowest bidder, the measure would allow local businesses within 10 percent of the lowest bid for a city contract to automatically match the lowest bid. The measure is expected to move forward on May 26, and will allow local companies to compete on a greater level for city contracts. Crawford said these are just a few elements in a plan that will be adjusted over time, depending on the need. ?s we?e doing this over the next year, we?l be constantly evaluating these efforts, determining what changes need to be made and we?l make those adjustments,?Crawford said. ?he bottom line is we want to get to the root of the problem by helping businesses stay in business.? Approved in April, the city? 21-Point Plan for Progress calls for investing more than $5.1 million in new programs and incentives to boost the local economy, and will use both general fund dollars and federal stimulus monies to enhance local business partnerships, encourage job creation, and develop marketing programs to bolster retail spending and attract external dollars to the community, among other things. As part of plan, the city will invest $50,000 to broaden marketing efforts for the Enterprise Zone program. To date, less than 5 percent of eligible businesses have taken advantage of the hiring credits available through the zone. The City will work closely with the Chamber of Commerce, College of the Canyons, Valley Industrial Association and other organizations to advance these efforts.
