PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – Multnomah County Chair Jessica Vega Pederson and Commissioner Julia Brim-Edwards are introducing a proposal to “kick-start” the county’s economy.

The Multnomah County Board members unveiled their plan on Friday, which requests $100,000 to create an Economic Development Landscape Analysis and Report to help the county develop an economic strategy.

The proposal for an economic report comes as the board members say Multnomah County has played a “limited” role in boosting the economy for decades.

“The health of our economy deeply impacts our families and everyone’s ability to live, rise, and thrive. This report will give us the knowledge to do sound policy and planning,” said Vega Pederson. “It will support our ability to help grow our economy, empower local businesses, and drive our community’s economic future.” 

According to Vega Pederson and Brim-Edwards, it is “imperative” for the county to have an active role in promoting economic growth as cities and other community partners in Portland’s Downtown Core and Central City have created their own initiatives to spur economic activity.

In a draft budget request for the proposal, Vega Pederson’s office notes that the proposal should leverage efforts underway and work with organizations, including, the Port of Portland — which “significantly contributes” to local economic development with freight and passenger service and offers a mentorship program — along with Micro Enterprise Services of Oregon, Travel Portland, along with local colleges and universities.

The report will help the county develop county-specific strategies to support existing businesses, industries and employers, while recruiting new businesses, the board members said, noting the county’s ability to provide services from addressing the homelessness crisis to preschool access, is “inextricably linked” to the vitality of the area’s economy.

“Let’s not kid ourselves: We need to change the trajectory of our economy and reverse recent trends,” Commissioner Brim-Edwards said. “The County needs to be in the driver’s seat of our own economic future, and we can start by creating a countywide economic development and empowerment strategy to improve family incomes and the economic future for Multnomah County residents.”

The proposal will be introduced to the Multnomah County Board of Commissioners on April 17.

Vega Pederson and Brim-Edwards’ plan comes after a Portland Metro Chamber report released in February painted a grim picture of the city’s economy — showing Portland has had a slower post-pandemic recovery than most major cities.

The Portland Metro Chamber report referred to Portland’s economy as an “urban doom loop,” a vicious cycle in which businesses close, people leave and tax revenues decline.

“It is on all of us to make sure that we continue to address the key issues like live-ability, homelessness, substance abuse,” Portland Metro Chamber President and CEO previously said. “But now we have to get real about the economy and start competing for business and investment, or we have some serious consequences that we will have to grapple with in the future.”

The report ends with a call to action for city leaders, to fix our economy or face the consequences.

“Our region’s leaders must turn their attention to make our economy competitive or face the daunting realities that other regions have faced before – an urban doom loop.”