Economic Issues
1	Young residents are leaving the Region.  Is this unique to NW?  The State? Where are they going?
2	“Undocumented” residents/citizens.  How do we get “accurate” data to determine the impact on the Region?
3	Public transportation – regional and statewide.  Future?  Positive, negative or both?
4	Energy costs and trends
5	Matching employer needs with qualified employees
6	Loss of “job benefits” in the Region. Vs. State/US?
7	Relocation of national/international companies to Region/CT.
8	Planning/execution capacity of Region.  Historically by individual town.
9	Capacity of NW Region to influence its own destiny vs. State influence.
10	Determining the “center/focus” of efforts.(who and where?)
11	Defining roles each of the towns play in the Region – in every way
12	Identification of “top 10 things” potential/future employers want.
13	Role of the arts in the Region.
14	Role of tourism in the Region.
15	Converting old structures to appealing places to work.
16	Affordable work force housing. (State definition = no more than 30% of income).
17	Cost of land
18	Land use zoning regulations.
19	CT tax structure.  Impact.  Does this affect Region more than rest of State?
20	Education in the Region reflecting the needs of the Region?
21	Transportation infrastructure.  Does it support the current/future needs of Region?
22	State policy re: incentives for new businesses.  Only for manufacturing.  E.g., does NOT encourage entrepreneurs.
23	Internal and external perception of the Region.  Perceived as “wealthy”, “in the middle of nowhere”, individual towns want to “keep their town a secret”
24	Changing values re: sustainability
25	Aging population
26	Young residents leaving the region and the state
27	Loss of manufacturing jobs
28	Brownfield issues
29	Limited industrial sites
30	High cost of energy
31	Energy availability
32	Rising health costs
33	High cost of housing
34	Workforce development and educational training
35	Need for technically trained workers
36	Longer commuting distances for local residents
37	Distance from other areas of the state
38	High cost of doing business
39	Unpredictable and unfavorable tax structure
40	Heavy reliance on residential property tax base
41	Economic viability of farms –loss of farmland and open space
42	Economic viability of city centers
43	Effect of new retail stores on existing small businesses
44	Attracting new business to the region – film industry
45	Challenges in tourism – casinos, high gas prices
46	Internet & cell phone access and availability
47	Emergency services volunteers
48	Technology as an economic driver
49	Consumer demand
50	Effect of emerging markets (energy usage, competition)
51	Jobs of the future?
52	Weather factors
53	National issues
54	Increased government regulation
55	Limitations and/or aging infrastructure
56	Business support organizations
57	Importing most of our food
58	Regional branding
59	Sprawl
60	Political change
61	Infrastructure – adequate now? future?
62	How do we bring young people back to the area?  Who do we want to attract to this area?
63	The future of healthcare
64	Possibility of economic and racial separation
65	Local educational access from elementary to college/higher ed. (including English language ed. For immigrants)
66	Environmental regs. and concerns
67	Quality of life (culture, art, restaurants)
68	Childcare issues (costs and availability)
69	The future of community involvement
70	Obesity
71	Political developments in foreign companies
72	Availability of investment capital
73	Attracting companies to spark economic growth
74	How do we ensure that we coordinate our efforts to get the area’s fair share of resources
75	Economic incentive for new or existing businesses
76	Attitudes of community about development
77	Availability of land
78	Loss of State and Federal representation due to shrinking population
79	Inadequate labor pool (e.g., aging of tradespersons and disinterest of emerging workforce)
80	Work ethic of new workers
81	Coordinated regional effort for economic development, not economic discouragement (Regional Econ. Development Czar)
82	Aging workers not retiring (failure to create openings for younger workers)
83	Is a coordinated effort or what type of coordinated effort is best for the region?
84	Potential competitive advantage of the region to attract the emerging green economy