The city has hired a leader for its new internal economic development function and council will scrap the committee intended to guide its creation.
Council decided in the spring not to renew the service agreement with Initiatives Prince George, bringing its work into city hall as of Jan. 1. At the time, a select committee on economic development was struck, to advise council and staff "on matters regarding strategic priorities and administrative framework" for the new internal operation as part of the planning department.
The committee was to be chaired by Mayor Lyn Hall and members of the IPG board were invited to participate. The group was to make a report to council by the end of September on how to move forward with staffing and transition plans.
"This timeline has since been accelerated," said Hall in an update on the committee on Monday night's agenda.
For example, in the interim the IPG board resigned en masse and many of the IPG staff members have already found other employment, including former CEO Heather Oland, who begins as the general manager of the Ramada hotel on Monday.
According to Hall's report, the city's planning department has been working with remaining IPG staff to "obtain plans documents related to the ongoing management and deployment of economic development strategies, activities and marketing" and further input will be gathered through discussions in collaboration with various community organizations.
Former IPG economic development officer Melissa Barcellos will begin as the city's new economic development manager on Sept. 28 and will report to planning and development manager Ian Wells.
Listings for a business development officer and an economic development officer, both starting at $33.54 per hour, and a project analyst, starting at $31.14, have been posted on the city's website and Hall's report said there will also be position created related to marketing.
