New Public Development Authority strives to build business on West Plains
A unique partnership involving three governmental entities hopes its combined resources will be able to fuel a new aerospace engine for the West Plains.
The designation, known as a Public Development Authority (PDA), is a partnership between the city of Spokane, Spokane County and Spokane International Airport that would include the geographic areas of the airport plus some bordering property west, south and east of the airport.
The Spokane City Council and Spokane County Commission separately considered this past week a memorandum of understanding that outlines a 20-year agreement for revenue and debt sharing, annexation, governance, initial funding and other considerations within the PDA boundaries.
“The county and city both have significant interest in the success of the airport and surrounding industrial areas,” County Commissioner Al French said in a news release. “The PDA helps all three partners fulfill their respective organizational missions and responsibilities to the citizens we serve.”
The PDA designation would align resources and services to support targeted investments consistent with advancing the airport layout plan, furthering aerospace supply chain and other industrial development. Both have been identified as areas for potential economic growth on the West Plains.
Under the agreement, the city and county will share and pay to the PDA 75 percent of all incremental increases in tax revenues within its geographic boundaries and jointly back future debt of the PDA. As part of the deal, the city of Spokane will not pursue further annexation within the PDA boundaries during the duration of the agreement.
Under the deal, the three partners will work to attract new manufacturing and aerospace development that will grow jobs in the area, officials said.
“This unique partnership is another way for us to grow economic investment and jobs in the Spokane area that benefit residents of the city and county by leveraging one of the region’s greatest assets, the Spokane International Airport, rather than compete across geographic boundaries,” Spokane Mayor David Condon said.
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