City of La Grande to Update Economic Development Plan

City of La Grande to Update Economic Development Plan

The City of La Grande is preparing to update the the City’s economic development plan.  Economic Development Director Timothy Bishop noted that the current economic development plan is from 2010, “There’s a lot of good information and we have been successful in implementing many of the goals and objectives from the current plan but there have been significant changes in La Grande, the economy, and economic development best practices during the last 16 years.” 

The City Council prioritized the need to update the economic development plan during their January retreat and approved funding for the project as part of the City’s 2026-27 budget.  Updating the economic development plan is part of a larger Fiscal Transformation Initiative driven by City Manager John O’Brien focused on identifying opportunities to both save the community money and relieve pressure on the city’s General Fund and setting conditions for a more fiscally viable future for La Grande. The City also recently received a $50,000 award from the Ford Family Foundation that will help cover roughly 40% of the project costs. 

The City issued a request for proposals seeking consultants to help lead the process in early May and received 19 proposals from consultants throughout the Northwest and beyond.  After reviewing all the proposals, the selection committee interviewed three consultant firms before choosing the team to lead this process. The City is currently finalizing the contract with the selected consultant team and expect to begin the planning process in early August. 

The City anticipates the planning process will be complete by April or May of 2027 in time to include some of the recommended actions in next year’s budget planning.  The planning process will include multiple site visits by the consultant team, several small focus groups, one on one interviews and public town hall meetings. 

The City has formed a small citizen advisory committee that will serve as the steering committee for this process and work closely with the consultant particularly on public engagement efforts.   

Bishop noted that the City is hoping for robust public engagement in the planning process which will help define a plan that is representative of the community’s goals and vision.  “Ultimately we want to end up with a plan that reflects who we are and where we want to go as a community.”  “Once we know what the community goals are then we can start building a strategy around those goals and just as important, make sure that we’re identifying the necessary resources and creating the right tools and incentives to help us implement that vision.”

For more information contact City of La Grande Economic Development Director Timothy Bishop 541-962-1307 or visit www.cityoflagrande.org