YOUNGSTOWN — City officials are considering spending up to $200,000 to hire an agency to “develop and implement a comprehensive marketing plan.”

Andy Resnick, the city’s spokesman, said his specialties are communications and media relations and if the city wants to market itself, it needs a different firm. Resnick’s CS Public Affairs is paid $60,000 annually for strategic communications planning.

“It’s a different skill set,” Resnick told city council’s community planning and economic development committee on Tuesday.

When Councilman Julius Oliver, D-1st Ward, asked if the campaign would be national, specifically targeting those living in New York and California to come to Youngstown, Resnick said, “The intent is to market beyond our region.”

An outline from Resnick calls for the campaign to “highlight Youngstown’s assets, foster pride among residents and position Youngstown as an attractive destination for businesses, visitors and future residents.”

The agency selected would brand and message, create a campaign strategy and creative development, handle media and digital marketing, work on community and stakeholder engagement, and establish performance indicators and provide regular updates and reports, according to the document Resnick distributed at Tuesday’s meeting.

“We’re on the right track,” Oliver said.

At Tuesday’s meeting, Stephanie Gilchrist, the city’s economic development director, discussed the results of a $50,000 economic development strategic plan. The Montrose Group LLC of Columbus was hired last year to develop the plan.

The plan calls for the city to expand its economic development department, enhance its business retention and expansion program, grow the residential and retail sectors through targeted corridors, grow the manufacturing base, and improve the marketing of the city.

Also Tuesday, Gilchrist said Gulu Electrical Contractors Inc., in the city since 1998, plans to build a $400,000 warehouse expansion in the city and is seeking a 75%, 10-year tax abatement.

“We want to keep them in the city,” Gilchrist said.

The company, which employs about 30, would add a couple of jobs with the expansion.

Oliver said tax abatements are “a sticking point for me” because not enough companies that receive them hire city workers.