Springfield and Sangamon County must rethink economic development and job creation to reverse years of slowing tax revenues, stagnant population growth and traditional reliance on state government, say local supporters of a proposed public-private corporation that would lead that effort.

They also acknowledge the likely perception of yet another study followed by little or no change.

The nearly 70-page study, which was presented at Tuesday night's meeting of the Sangamon County Board, was based on in-depth interviews with 130 local business, government, labor, education and community leaders, and what they considered the good and bad when it comes to attracting and keeping jobs in the area. The county contract with study consultant The Development Consortium is for a minimum of $95,000 to a maximum of $125,000.

Efforts toward creation of the still unnamed, public-private economic development corporation are on a fast track, Sangamon County Board Chairman Andy Van Meter told the editorial board of The State Journal-Register before Tuesday's board meeting. Van Meter said he expects the county to commit $500,000 toward the $1.5 million to $2 million annually needed for EDC operations. Van Meter said backers are counting on support from the city of Springfield, other municipalities and business investors for the remainder. The focus, according to The Development Consortium analysis, should provide one stop for prospective employers who now must navigate multiple government and economic-development rules.

"We have this window of opportunity that we can come together and focus our resources," said Van Meter, who added that he would like to see the EDC in operation in 2018. Van Meter said county board members could vote as early as next month on the county's $500,000 commitment.

One-stop resource

The EDC board and staff, including a CEO, should provide a single resource on local programs for job retention and creation, diversity programs, workforce development, promotion of entrepreneurs and site selection, according to the report.

Anonymous comments made in interviews also were blunt on traditional approaches over four decades from dominance by insider interests to "silos" of competing economic development interests. Strengths ranged from tourism attractions to quality health-care. But criticism running throughout the report centered on lack of focus and leadership in current economic-development initiatives.

The Development Consortium Principal and Chief Operating Officer Craig Coil, who headed the Decatur and Macon County Economic Development Corp. for 11 years, said the proposed $1 billion natural-gas power plant near Pawnee was an example of the legal-regulatory challenges facing would-be developers in the area. The project would create up to 800 construction jobs and 30 to 40 permanent jobs, according to EmberClear.

"We're aware of another location where benefits are available that they're looking at. It's taken this area (Springfield-Sangamon County) multiple weeks, if not months, to resolve the enterprise zone designation," said Coil. "The other area's like, you're in. We're done. The bottom line is, there's none of this back and forth. Here's your site, here's the benefits, you're done."

The Development Consortium Principal and CEO Janet Mathis said she believes the report reflected "frustration" as the area looks for alternatives to state government as the primary employer for Springfield and Sangamon County. She said there also was concern in the interviews the effort would go the way of previous economic-development studies.

"We'd hear, 'Wait a second. We don't want to have this discussion in a different format. We know what the problem is,'" said Mathis.

Mathis said she believes there was a realization that economic-development strategy must change as a result of state government, population and demographic trends.

"It's not just about being the capital of the state, which is extremely important," said Mathis, "but what else do you want to be?"

Fiscal realities

Sangamon County Administrator Brian McFadden said a series of reports have highlighted long-term challenges facing the area, including slowing property tax and sales tax revenues, slow population and job growth, an aging demographic, and the difficulty of attracting young professionals to Springfield and Sangamon County.

"At the county, we have a lot of data. We've had a front-row seat the last couple of years as far as watching the trends, whether it's property values, jobs, income, out-migration," said McFadden. "We were sufficiently alarmed, we felt we needed to take a look at the status quo no longer going in the right direction."

McFadden said there also are hard fiscal realities in trends such as property values once growing at 6 to 8 percent annually now rising at less than 1 percent a year.

"You could be going like gangbusters and spending like crazy, and people taxes are going down, because the pie is getting bigger," said McFadden. "Or you can be a dying community, cutting, cutting, cutting, and property taxes are still going up because the pie is getting smaller."

-- Contact Tim Landis: tim.landis@sj-r.com, 788-1536, twitter.com/timlandisSJR.

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The good and bad

Approximately 130 government, business, labor, education and community leaders interviewed on local economic-development strategy were asked to list strengths and weakness of Springfield and Sangamon County. Here are 10 examples from both lists.

Strengths:

* Central location

* Tourism-historic sites

* Educated workforce

* Railroads, interstates, airport

* Strong medical community

* Potential for a "creative class" downtown

* Quality of life

* Utilities and water

* Low cost of living

* Safety

Weaknesses

* State government finances, pension debt

* Insider influence

* Competing economic-development factions

* Risk averse

* Bureaucracy; city hard to do business with

* Lack of manufacturing jobs

* Locals have a negative attitude

* Young people do not return

* Springfield is a segregated city

* Need more recreational opportunities