BILL REQ. #:  S-2067.1 

READ FIRST TIME 02/23/07.   

     AN ACT Relating to contracts with associate development organizations for economic development services; amending RCW 43.330.080; adding new sections to chapter 43.330 RCW; and creating a new section.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 1   The legislature finds that economic development success requires coordinated state and local efforts. Associate development organizations serve as a networking tool and resource hub for business retention, expansion, and relocation in Washington. Economic development success requires an adequately funded and coordinated state effort and an adequately funded and coordinated local effort. The legislature intends to bolster the partnership between state and local economic development efforts, provide increased funding for local economic development services, and increase local economic development service effectiveness, efficiency, and outcomes.

Sec. 2   RCW 43.330.080 and 1997 c 60 s 1 are each amended to read as follows:
     (1) The department shall contract with county designated associate development organizations ((or other local organizations)) to increase the support for and coordination of community and economic development services in communities or regional areas. The organizations contracted with in each community or regional area shall be broadly representative of community and economic interests. The organization shall be capable of identifying key economic and community development problems, developing appropriate solutions, and mobilizing broad support for recommended initiatives. The contracting organization shall work with and include local governments, local chambers of commerce, ((private industry councils,)) workforce developing councils, port districts, labor groups, institutions of higher education, community action programs, and other appropriate private, public, or nonprofit community and economic development groups. The ((department shall be responsible for determining the)) scope of services delivered under these contracts((.
     (2) Associate development organizations or other local development organizations contracted with shall promote and coordinate, through local service agreements with local governments, small business development centers, port districts, community and technical colleges, private industry councils, and other development organizations, for the efficient delivery of community and economic development services in their areas.
     (3) The department shall consult with associate development organizations, port districts, local governments, and other local development organizations in the establishment of service delivery regions throughout the state. The legislature encourages local associate development organizations to form partnerships with other associate development organizations in their region to combine resources for better access to available services, to encourage regional delivery of state services, and to build the local capacity of communities in the region more effectively.
     (4) The department shall contract on a regional basis for surveys of key sectors of the regional economy and the coordination of technical assistance to businesses and employees within the key sectors. The department's selection of contracting organizations or consortiums shall be based on the sufficiency of the organization's or consortium's proposal to examine key sectors of the local economy within its region adequately and its ability to coordinate the delivery of services required by businesses within the targeted sectors. Organizations contracting with the department shall work closely with the department to examine the local economy and to develop strategies to focus on developing key sectors that show potential for long-term sustainable growth. The contracting organization shall survey businesses and employees in targeted sectors on a periodic basis to gather information on the sector's business needs, expansion plans, relocation decisions, training needs, potential layoffs, financing needs, availability of financing, and other appropriate information about economic trends and specific employer and employee needs in the region.
     (5) The contracting organization shall participate with the workforce training and education coordinating board as created in chapter 28C.18 RCW, and any regional entities designated by that board, in providing for the coordination of job skills training within its region)) shall include:
     (a) The development of a countywide economic development plan consistent with the state comprehensive plan for economic development developed by the state economic development commission;
     (b) Providing an inventory of sites available for development, and assisting in site location and selection;
     (c) Collecting and maintaining demographic, labor market, and other data useful for the economic health of the county;
     (d) Providing directly, or coordinating the delivery of, permit and licensing assistance and information to businesses seeking to locate or expand in the county;
     (e) Marketing the county and the state as an excellent location to expand or locate a business, in coordination with the department's marketing efforts;
     (f) Identifying gaps in the delivery of business start-up assistance and coordinating efforts with local small business development centers and other assistance providers to fill the gaps;
     (g) Providing business retention and expansion services, including business surveys and outreach efforts, early detection of potential relocations or layoffs, and identification of employers' needs;
     (h) Partnering with local governments, workforce development organizations, port districts, export assistance providers, local colleges and universities, the Washington state quality award council, the Washington manufacturing service, and small business development centers to facilitate the alignment of planning efforts and the seamless delivery of business support services in the county;
     (i) Collecting and maintaining data as specified by the state economic development commission for use in program and system evaluation; and
     (j) Participating in region-wide economic development planning and research to identify customer needs, identify gaps in services, and identify methods and organizations available to meet business needs. Additional regional efforts shall include working with regional partners to identify opportunities for promoting increased competitiveness of firms within the region and to coordinate and align regional workforce development and economic development efforts.
     (2) Associate development organizations contracting with the department under this act that apply for the Washington state quality award or its equivalent shall receive a ten thousand dollar award but may not receive this award more than once every three years.
     (3) The contracting organization shall participate with the state board for community and technical colleges as created in RCW 28B.50.050, and any community or technical colleges designated by that board, in providing for the coordination of job skills training within its region.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 3   (1) Contracting associate development organizations shall provide the department with measures of their performance. Annual reports shall include information on the impact of the contracting organization on employment, wages, tax revenue, and capital investment. Specific measures consistent with the requirements of RCW 43.330.080(1) and the direction provided by the economic development commission shall be developed in the contracting process between the department and the contracting organization every two years. Performance measures should be consistent across regions to allow for statewide evaluation.
     (2)(a) The department and contracting organizations shall agree upon specific target levels for the performance measures developed as provided in subsection (1) of this section. Comparison of agreed thresholds and actual performance shall occur annually.
     (b) Contracting organizations that fail to achieve the agreed performance targets in more than one-half of the agreed measures shall develop remediation plans to address performance gaps. The remediation plans shall include revised performance thresholds specifically chosen to provide evidence of progress in making the identified service changes.
     (c) Contracts and state funding shall be terminated for one year for organizations that fail to achieve the agreed upon progress toward improved performance defined under (b) of this subsection. During the year in which termination for nonperformance is in effect, organizations shall review alternative delivery strategies to include reorganization of the contracting organization, merging of previous efforts with existing regional partners, and other specific steps toward improved performance. At the end of the period of termination, the department may contract with the associate development organization or its successor as it deems appropriate.
     (3) The department shall report to the legislature and the economic development commission by December 31st of each year on the performance results of contracts with associate development organizations.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 4   Contracts with associate development organizations for the provision of services under RCW 43.330.080(1) shall be awarded according to the following annual schedule:
     (1) For associate development associations serving urban counties, which are counties other than rural counties as defined in RCW 43.160.020, a locally matched ninety cents per capita allocation totaling no more than three hundred thousand dollars per organization each state fiscal year;
     (2) For associate development associations in rural counties, as defined in RCW 43.160.020, a per county base allocation of forty thousand dollars and a locally matched ninety cents per capita allocation.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 5   Sections 3 and 4 of this act are each added to chapter 43.330 RCW.