Title
RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING PAYMENT OF $300,000 TO THE GREATER WICHITA PARTNERSHIP.
Presented by: Chris Chronis, Chief Financial Officer.
RECOMMENDED ACTION: Approve the resolution and authorize the Chairman to sign.
Body
The Greater Wichita Partnership is a public-private partnership dedicated to:
1. promoting recruitment, retention, and expansion of targeted economic driver industries in Wichita/Sedgwick County;
2. facilitating the creation of diverse, quality jobs and capital investment which generate overall positive return on public investment; and
3. marketing the South Central Kansas region as an exceptional business location.
Founded in 2015, this broad-based coalition was created to align and focus economic development initiatives. The Greater Wichita Partnership is devoted to expanding Greater Wichita's commercial and industrial base through aggressive business retention, expansion, and recruitment activities and marketing the nine county region of South Central Kansas as fierce competitor in the global environment.
Since its founding in 2004, the Greater Wichita Economic Development Coalition (GWEDC) was funded in roughly equal shares with public funds provided pursuant to participation agreements with Sedgwick County and Wichita, and private funds provided pursuant to pledges made by local businesses. The most recent participation agreement was terminated by Sedgwick County last year due to uncertainty about the County's ability to continue providing funding support in the face of changing Commission priorities.
GWEDC now is overseen by the Greater Wichita Partnership. The proposed resolution declares that support of economic development initiatives is a public purpose, and authorizes the payment of $300,000 to the Greater Wichita Partnership for that purpose. The City of Wichita also is providing $300,000 of funding to the Greater Wichita Partnership in 2016, and the balance of the organization's $1.9-million budget is being funded with...
Click here for full text