The study results will be presented to GEDCO this afternoon in the council chambers at 4pm and again to the City Council tomorrow at their 3pm workshop. Attendance is encouraged if you want to know what is going on and how the city expects to promote business development.
Both studies are available on the agenda for GEDCO on the city website. GEDCO Agenda
Several observations can be made about the results.
75% of the individuals who work in Georgetown do not live in Georgetown.
Looking at this chart indicates the bulk of Georgetown's jobs are in retail and entertainment. I presume these clusters include restaurants and pubs. The point being is that these jobs are among the lowest paying. The study does not seem to emphasize enough that the city should be encouraging businesses that pay well above retail and entertainment to locate in Georgetown.
The target industry recommendations do not include retail and entertainment, and it is clear the city should not be encouraging more fast food establishments and retail stores even though the study does not explicitly so state that.
Also, the city should be wary of health care services as they are also notoriously low paying jobs.
The airport is identified as a strength for Georgetown and includes aerospace and aviation as potential growth areas. The people living around the airport likely will not be enamoured with any business that increases air activity over their neighborhoods.
Finally it should be noted that the share of the city population that lives in poverty is substantially below the surrounding communities and the state. This raises the question of whether or not the city needs to be engaged in the development of low income housing. Most working citizens are well educated and have decent paying jobs. More information about salary levels are included in the report.
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