Economic Development Recovery and Resiliency Playbook - Flipbook - Page 28
Prioritize the goals and develop a timeline. Afer you have identified who should be at the table, it is time to prioritize the
goals and determine what is essential for recovery and resiliency. At this time, you must also create a timeline for the process so
you can stay on track and deliver your project on time. Tips on this process are included following this section.
Funding. Comprehensive goal setting with extensive community engagement can be expensive. The good news is that, in
many cases, resiliency goals can be funded by grants. Community Development Block Grants (CDBG), the U.S. Department of
Agriculture (USDA), the EDA, and other federal and state government, regional, and local agencies have specific funding available
for technical assistance and goal creation.
Champions. Who will champion each goal? Chances are that the economic development practitioner will not work on and
complete every goal. It is important to define the tasks and responsibilities of each partner. Work with your identified partners to
decide who will champion specific goals, and then determine if it is necessary to hire a consultant to facilitate the completion of
some goals.
Implementation. Once your economic goals have been identified, you will want to make sure that they are implemented in
accordance with the timeline. If the goals are not implemented in a timely manner, they could be viewed as “sitting on the shelf”
and it may be hard to get back to them. This relates to the SMART framework and whether the goals are attainable, measurable,
and time-based.
6. Create Timelines for Goals
As noted earlier, once you have clearly defined your economic goals, make sure to create timelines for each item, as time and
labor constraints will prevent them from being completed simultaneously. Take the following steps to create timelines.
Prioritize each item and decide which tool should be created. In many cases, accurate business and community contact
lists are needed immediately, as they become essential during and afer a disaster. Plans can be an ongoing task, and goals can
be listed annually.
Delegate. Because the implementation of a plan with multiple goals can be quite daunting, do not hesitate to delegate.
The local chamber of commerce and Economic Development Corporation can both help with implementing your plan. In
addition, the local Planning Department can most likely assist with strategic plans, as can the Governor’s Ofice of Emergency
Services (CalOES).
Collaborate. Do not try to tackle disaster preparation single-handedly. Collaboration will help create more comprehensive
resources and plans that include community engagement and support. It will assist in spreading the experience and knowledge
of the process throughout your community.
7. Implement Goals
Afer the community outreach has been conducted and the strategic plan has been created, it is time to implement the plan
and work on achieving the stated goals. All of the data collected from the outreach will be compiled in a living document that
should be updated annually and will be the basis of an implementation plan. In addition to the public outreach feedback,
collect economic and demographic data to combine with public input. Good statistical data is important and will help
with implementation.
The economic development strategic plan, which is a summary of goals and objectives to create economic resiliency, will need
to be presented to the local government so that the City Council or county Board of Supervisors can pass a resolution adopting
the plan. Once the resolution is signed, the plan can take efect.
The following activities are an essential part of the implementation process.
Print the plan and distribute copies. Make sure to print several hard copies of the plan and distribute them to stakeholders,
and also distribute the document in digital form.
Post goals on public website. In addition to providing the printed copies of the plan and goals, make sure to post a link to
the goals on the community’s website and promote the link to the local community. Your partners can help promote the link
through their channels, too.
20
CALED | Economic Development Recovery and Resiliency Playbook