EcoDevo to finish study
Staff writer
A committee working on economic development plans for Marion County expects to finish research, weed out the unimportant, and be ready to write a plan for moving ahead this month.
County commissioners last week voted to approve a charter presented by Chris Hernandez, chairman of the economic development committee.
“The charter is just, in my mind, a way to discuss this with people,” Hernandez said.
The committee will spend the rest of December putting together committee bylaws and a plan for discussions with the county and its towns, he said.
“We should have a plan sometime in January,” Hernandez said. “First we’ll go to the county, then we’ll go to the municipalities.”
The charter lines out working together with county and city economic development people, finding agreement that lasting prosperity is a priority, increasing employment opportunities, working closely with existing businesses to help develop and expand them, concern for natural resources, having clear and coordinated communication, and communicating efforts to the public while maintaining confidentiality of business owners.
Hernandez said the committee’s work has been forward-looking, not intended to look back at things that have been tried already.