City of West Linn Economic Development Committee Meeting

The City of West Linn Economic Development Committee met on November 6, 2026, to review its annual report and discuss committee priorities and local economic development initiatives. Members identified inconsistent meetings, difficulty maintaining momentum and focus, and committee-member turnover as challenges. They discussed forming a subcommittee to develop recommendations on business licensing, including outreach to unregistered businesses and clearer guidance on the licensing process; staff will document the requests and bring a draft back for review in December. The committee also discussed providing feedback on proposed Highway 43 zoning provisions and requested a future discussion of economic opportunity analysis results. No committee votes or spending approvals were reported.

Staff reported that City Council approved an update to the tax increment financing (TIF) district that would allow the City to negotiate the purchase of a downtown property using TIF funds; the purchase price and subsequent use or operating plan were not specified. A local economic development representative also reported submitting an $80,000 county grant application for informational kiosks and wayfinding, with the award pending. Other updates included a small-business resource guide targeted for completion in December and a website rebuild expected by May 2027; the existing CitizenServe business-licensing module is not expected to change.