TITLE
The Mayor and City Council shall discuss and possibly take action on approving an amended month to month Professional Services Agreement between the City of Maricopa and Northern Arizona Center for Entrepreneurship and for contract services of the Maricopa Center for Entrepreneurship (MCE). The month to month agreement is for a minimum of 6 months with a maximum of 12 months. Funding for this agreement was approved in FY17-18 General Fund, Non-Departmental, Professional and Occupational (10010000-53320). Discussion and Action.
AGENDA ITEM DESCRIPTION
The Council approved Economic Development Strategic Plan was created to guide the City's short and long-term economic development efforts. The plan established four key goals to achieving economic development success as well as accompanying strategies and actions needed to realize those goals. Goal 1: Strategy C, specifically calls out the need to support local entrepreneurs in the start-up of new business.
Across the nation communities have embraced entrepreneurship as a means of promoting economic diversification, local innovation, and stimulating growth. The reason is two-fold: 1) an economic transition in the U.S. that has created more market opportunities for entrepreneurs and 2) the recognition that entrepreneurs can be more deeply rooted in their communities, which increases both their economic and social impacts.
To fulfill this goal the Economic Development Department issued a Request for Statement of Qualifications in the winter of 2012 seeking partnership opportunities with interested organizations for the implementation and operational management of the Maricopa Center for Entrepreneurship (MCE) incubator. February 5, 2013 City Council approved a Professional Services Agreement with the Northern Arizona Technology & Business Incubator for the creation and operational management of the MCE incubator and renewed an expanded agreement again September 3, 2013.
Business incubators nurture the dev...
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