Orange County NC Website
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3 <br />PLAN SUMMARY <br />EDC Mission: Our purpose is to make Orange County a smart, innovative place - a <br />great place in which to live and work. We encourage public-private investments to <br />provide,jobs for county residents and to increase the non-residential tax base. Tluough <br />these inveshnents, we enhance the financial well-being and quality of life of county <br />residents, and the ability of their local govennnents to provide high-quality services. <br />Overall Goal: To create 5,000 new private sector jobs in Orange County and add <br />$125,000,000 in new commercial property by June 2010. <br />Worlcgroups: Coming out of the Economic Summit in January 2004, participants <br />identified four areas that needed work: <br />1) Improved Business Climate (to enable businesses to create the needed jobs) <br />2) Infrastructure (to ensure that businesses can flourish) <br />3) Workforce Development (to make sure workers have the skills needed to assume <br />the new,jobs) <br />4) Quality of Place (to ensure that Orange County remains a great place in which to <br />live and work) <br />Volunteer workgroups formed around each of these areas, and developed goal statements <br />as follows: <br />Business Climate: By .Tune 2010, public-private partnerships will have formed to create <br />a stronger business climate and Orange County will have a clear set of guidelines and <br />regulatory standards designed to sustain and nurture existing businesses, encourage <br />entrepreneurship, and attract targeted employers. <br />Infrastructure: By .June 2010, infrastructure will be in place to support the county's <br />economic development goals of increasing the commercial tax base and retaining and <br />attracting targeted businesses. <br />Workforce Development: By June 2010, effective systems will be in place to train and <br />support residents and those who work in Orange County. At least 75 percent of all new <br />,jobs in the county (for both new and expanding businesses) will be filled by county <br />residents. <br />Ouality of Place: By June 2010, Orange County will have thriving partnerships ensuring <br />that the county is a great place in which to live and work, attracting and retaining the <br />creative community of innovators, artists and civic leaders that will drive the desired <br />economy, <br />Over the past year, each of the workgroups has continued to meet regularly. The <br />following pages highlight the activities of each workgroup during 2005-06. <br />