Title
Olympia Strong Kick Off: A Roadmap for Economic Resiliency
Recommended Action
Committee Recommendation:
Briefing only. No action requested.
City Manager Recommendation:
Briefing only. No action requested.
Report
Issue:
Discuss the upcoming public process to form a long-term economic resiliency plan with a goal to help residents, businesses, the broader community and the City organization weather challenging times and thrive.
Staff Contact:
Amy Buckler, Strategic Projects Manager, Economic Development, Office of Community Vitality, 360.280.8947
Presenter(s):
Amy Buckler, Strategic Projects Manager
Mike Reid, Economic Development Director
Background and Analysis:
The City of Olympia is developing an economic resiliency plan. The process is called Olympia Strong: A Roadmap for Economic Resiliency. Olympia Strong will identify a long-term strategic framework and specific actions the City of Olympia and partners can take to achieve community-defined economic goals.
Resiliency refers to an ability to adapt and quickly recover from challenging times and thrive. Hand in hand with resiliency is equity, which means advancing a community that is just and equitable for all, regardless of race/ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, religious belief, disability or income status.
At the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Olympia joined forces with partners in the region to bolster the economic resiliency of affected workers and businesses by distributing grants, personal protective gear and shoring up childcare options. The partners then formed a 24-month Recovery and Reset Plan to accelerate our region’s economic recovery. With implementation of that underway, Olympia is now turning its attention to the long-term resiliency of our community.
With Olympia Strong the City strives to help improve the economic resiliency of Olympia residents, businesses and the broader community (organizations, schools, etc.). We are also focused on resiliency of the City organization, to ensure revenues are available over the long run to fund community and economic goals. With this effort we are building on the work of Thurston Strong as well as other plans such as Sustainable Thurston, the Downtown Strategy and more.
Olympia Strong will inform an update to the Economy chapter of the Comprehensive Plan. It will also include specific actions and a strategic framework to inform the work of the Office of Community Vitality’s Economic Development Department.
The City has hired the consulting firm J Robertson and Company to assist with this effort. J Robertson is uniquely qualified to assist Olympia, having deep knowledge of our regional economy and having played an instrumental role in the development of Thurston Strong.
At the meeting, staff will provide an overview of:
• The process timeline, deliverables and community engagement
• What we have learned so far - Highlights from data and interviews
• What comes next - summer and fall
Neighborhood/Community Interests (if known):
Staff expects there will be high public interest in Olympia Strong. Accordingly, public information and engagement opportunities will be ongoing throughout the process.
A community survey will launch online on July 12 and be open through August 15. The survey is available at Engage Olympia.
Options:
1. Receive the briefing.
2. Do not receive the briefing.
3. Receive the briefing at another time.
Financial Impact:
The City Council has allocated $100,000 toward development of Olympia Strong. $90,000 has been allocated for consultant services and $10,000 will go toward project staffing.
Attachments:
Timeline & Deliverables
Community Engagement Framework
Climate Analysis
Equity Analysis
Link to Engage Olympia Webpage