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Commissioners: FCEDC funding issue needs resolution
Published 8/5/2009 in Local News
By STEPHANIE FARLEY
Despite Finney County voters voting down funding economic development with sales tax, Garden City Commissioner Reynaldo Mesa said Tuesday that sales tax revenue is ultimately the best way to fund the initiative.
The issue of how to fund economic development long has been a topic for Finney County Economic Development Corp. and its funding partners — the cities of Garden City and Holcomb, the county and Garden City Community College.
The issue came up once again during commissioner comments Tuesday because the funding partners are set to meet Thursday with members of FCEDC's Board of Directors to discuss a permanent source of funding for FCEDC and economic development efforts.
The meeting is open to the public and is at 1:30 p.m. on the second floor of the County Administrative Building, 311 N. Ninth St.
Mesa and Commissioners John Doll and J.R. Behan said they'd be unable to attend Thursday's meeting and wanted to provide City Manager Matt Allen and Commissioner David Crase, who plan to attend, with their thoughts on the issue.
Mesa said economic development should be funded through sales tax dollars and that there may come a time when the entities would try to approach voters again on the possibility.
For the most part, Mesa said, it seems the funding partners support and believe economic development is needed, though finding a permanent funding source has been a struggle.
Crase mentioned past discussions of the possibility of bringing economic development under the city and county. Mesa said he'd be OK with exploring the possibility, but he also feels it makes sense to continue pursuing FCEDC and Downtown Vision being located together.
The two entities being housed together and sharing some operation costs has come up at the city level. On Tuesday, Liz Sosa, director of business retention for FCEDC, said the entities still are exploring the possibility of being housed in one location.
Commissioners said funding is a question for FCEDC every year.
"I think we need to get real with it," Mesa said of finally determining how to fund FCEDC.
Accountability for the tax dollars being used to fund the entity also was mentioned Tuesday, with Mesa wondering if, since the city is funding a portion of FCEDC, commissioners would be able to review the evaluation of FCEDC staff. Commissioners also have brought up in the past possibly having more representation on FCEDC's board of directors for the amount of funding the city provides -- the city currently has two representatives, Doug Keller and Cathy McKinley, on the board and is set to fund FCEDC at $89,000 for 2010. The city denied funding FCEDC at $125,000.
Mesa said sales tax would be a natural fit to fund FCEDC because economic development spurs spending activity, which spurs sales tax revenue, he said, adding sales tax revenue continues to do well for both the city and county.
Doll wondered if some control and oversight of the money would be lost if economic development was funded through sales tax. While Doll said he understands some confidentiality needs to be used when dealing with potential economic development prospects, he wondered where the line is drawn as far as too much confidentiality and secrecy.
"I like a lot of transparency," Doll said, adding economic development isn't very transparent right now.
"And I'm sure they know a lot more about it than I do," Doll said of FCEDC and economic development. But, he said, he'd rather see too much transparency than not enough.
"I want to know where that money's going," he said, explaining he feels it's his responsibility as a commissioner to know how tax dollars are being spent on economic development.
Mesa suggested the money for economic development be set aside in a fund and when a desired use or need came up for the money, the governing entities would be able to review the use before approving the money be used.
On the Web:
City of Garden City: www.garden-city.org
Finney County Economic Development Corp.: www.ficoedc.com/
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