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PRESS RELEASE RAMSEY BUSINESS SURVEY COMPLETED A survey of 81 companies in Ramsey has been released today. The survey is conducted annually by the City of Ramsey under the auspices of the Minnesota Department of Trade and Economic Development to assess company views of the local and state business environment. The survey includes responses from 12 manufacturing firms and 69 companies in agriculture/forestry/fishing, construction, transportation/utilities, wholesale trade, retail trade, finance/insurance/real estate, and services. As a body, the respondents reported full time employment of 1,862 people in Ramsey. In releasing the survey, officials of Ramsey highlighted the following findings: - Employment represented by the surveyed firms has increased dramatically compared to last year. Factors viewed as most favorable included Land, Market Access, and Property Taxes. Unfavorable factors reported were Property Taxes, Land, and Roads. The issues of Land and Property Taxes are controversial. With some, these factors ranked high as favorable and with others as unfavorable. Companies were most satisfied with the following community services/facilities: Electric/Gas Utilities, Police, and Roads and reported the most problems with Water, Facility Space, and Sewers or the lack of these services. 47 percent of the companies plan to add employees in the next two years. Asked if they intended to relocate outside the community, nine (9) percent of respondents said yes. Reasons for relocation were Inadequacy of Land/Facilities, Incentives from other Cities/ States, and Minnesota Business Climate. Survey results will be used in two ways by local economic development leaders. First, specific opportunities to assist local businesses have been identified and are being implemented. Second, the results are also being used to set long term goals and to formulate marketing strategies.