Otter unveils Idaho economic-development initiative

Jeff Sayer, director of the Department of Commerce and a contributor to the plan, said attacking the priorities laid out in the initiative will lead to improving the state’s last-in-the-nation average wage. The initiative doesn’t set a wage goal.

Planning, networking and collaborating — but not much new spending — highlight Gov. Butch Otter’s new initiative.

Accelerate Idaho was announced Thursday. Otter’s previous goal, set early in his first term, was passing $60 billion in gross domestic product during his tenure. Unlike Project 60, Accelerate Idaho has no specific benchmarks. Instead, it establishes a checklist of areas needing improvement, including K-12 education, infrastructure and labor shortages in key Idaho industries.

By Zach Kyle

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