Prov. City Council establishes Economic Development Planning Commission

CITY COUNCIL PRESIDENT Michael Solomon called the establishment of an Economic Development Planning Commission a
CITY COUNCIL PRESIDENT Michael Solomon called the establishment of an Economic Development Planning Commission a "great step for our city."

PROVIDENCE – The City Council has established an Economic Development Planning Commission, which will create a comprehensive economic development policy for the city along with a plan to implement it.
Council President Michael A. Solomon called the commission, which was established on Dec. 4, a “great step for our city.”
“This commission will be a great asset for the next administration as economic policy goals are set and plans are made for expanding the local economy and improving quality of life for residents,” he said in a statement.
Alan Litwin, chairman of the Providence Task Force on Economic Development, said he was excited to hear that the City Council moved forward with the task force’s recommendation to create the commission.

John Simmons, executive director of Rhode Island Public Expenditure Council, said that the ordinance creating the commission was modeled after Massachusetts’ economic development planning process, as suggested by the city’s Task Force on Economic Development. Simmons said the economic development policy will be vetted through a public comment period.

RIPEC provided the task force with research and data.

The Economic Development Planning Commission will consist of 17 members, six appointed by the mayor, six appointed by the City Council, and five department directors, including the Director of Economic Development, who will also serve as the commission’s chair. Commissioners will be appointed in January and will have until the end of 2015 to complete the economic development plan.

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