AURORA — Aurora and other communities in the metro area need to work together in order to weather the recession, Mayor Ed Tauer said Thursday.
In his annual State of the City address, Tauer noted how a few years ago, a small contingent of city officials and members of the Aurora Economic Development Council traveled to Washington, D.C., to lobby on the city’s behalf.
Recently, officials from El Paso, Weld, Jefferson and Adams counties, and Denver joined Aurora at the nation’s capital to voice concerns about the entire Front Range.
“More than 100 people went . . . to talk about our needs together,” Tauer said.
Tauer, in his final term as mayor, also noted how Denver Water, Aurora Water and other water districts in the south metro area are working to ensure that their infrastructures are efficient. The communities are discussing ways to provide water to one another during times of drought.
Key to making it through these tough economic times, Tauer said, is helping small businesses locate and thrive in Aurora.
He pointed to the city’s recent passing of a jobs-incentive program for small businesses. Many companies will be eligible for up to $5,000 for each new employee they hire.
The mayor first laid out that idea at last year’s State of the City speech, and the Aurora City Council approved the incentive program this week. “We want to send a message: How do we help small business?” Tauer said.
City Councilman Bob FitzGerald called the plan a good one, saying Aurora needs to do what it can to jump-start the economy. “It’s a good approach to what seems to be an unemployment situation that is not going away anytime soon,” he said recently.
Carlos Illescas: 303-954-1175 or cillescas@denverpost.com
