Commission considers eliminating economic development post, but questions remain

By Charlene Sims

info@linncountyjournal.com

MOUND CITY – Near the end of the Monday, Sept. 22, meeting, Commissioner Jason Hightower brought up doing away with the county’s economic development director position for the time being.

And while the commissioners agreed that would help them meet the 2026 budget, there was concern that dropping not only the director’s post but also dismissing the county’s economic development committee would be counterproductive.

“I would like to discuss our future of that position and with our trying to stay budget neutral and things of that nature,” Hightower said about the director’s post.

That post is currently unfilled following the abrupt resignation of former director Chasity Ware over the summer.

Hightower said he would just like to have a discussion about doing away with that position for the time being. 

“Doing away with the whole budget or do you want to keep anything in the budget for that?” asked Commission Chair Jim Johnson.

Hightower suggested any extra funds this year from economic development be transferred to special equipment just like the county normally would.

He explained that he thought the position should be eliminated for the time being, addressing it again at budget time next year, whether we’re going to fill it or not. He said he just didn’t think that the county had been getting a lot of bang for their buck.

He was critical of the commission’s commitment to economic development, suggesting that Johnson and Commissioner Alison Hamilton didn’t support real economic development.

Hightower continued, “Ali can say that she is passionate about economic development, but the actions of the commission have been such that we haven’t followed through on a lot of that stuff. So I just think it’s kind of wasting money.”

Hightower said that the commission has been having the person in that position work in circles, assigning other tasks to them that keep them from doing work that an economic development director should be doing.

“Let’s just go back to the job description,” Hamilton said in response. “First off, I’m not even against what you are saying about eliminating the position, but when you use words like running in circles on doing these things, I don’t agree with that at all. 

“We gave her (Ware) clear direction on the airport in public. We gave her clear direction on the website publicly and here at this table. There were quite a few things that were given to her regarding the land sale.”

“What I’m talking about, Ali, is that anything that has had to do with economic development you have voted against, whether it came from that department or planning and zoning,” Hightower said. “Why would we continue to put money into that if we’re not going to work with the people who are coming in and wanting to do economic development within the county? That’s what I’m saying.”

Hamilton answered, “That’s interesting that you pointed that out. I will agree with you that all of the economic development that you’re referring to, not website, not airport, not land sales, not tourism, has never been brought to eco devo. That’s always been brought to planning and zoning or pub works. So everything that you’re talking about that I voted against had nothing to do with eco devo when you’re saying it should have, right?”

“I’m saying that it all is intertwined,” said Hightower. “So what are we doing in, you’re wanting to keep the eco devo to push your tourism agenda, not to build out businesses within the county that are going to prosper and pay taxes.”

“No,” said Hamilton.

“The record shows otherwise,” said Hightower. “And that’s why I’m saying that we can ease our budget constraints that much more by just eliminating that from the budget and that position for the time being. We can always come back and address it again at a later date. What are we short on the budget $143,000?”

County Clerk Danielle Souza answered, “$153,000.”

“How did we get that?” Johnson asked. “I guess that’s talking, but how did we get that $800,000 down to . . .?”

“Yeah, I mean, because we’ve never had a discussion about it. We never talked about it,” said Hamilton.

“The last I knew it was $800,000 but we. . .” said Johnson.

Souza answered, “That was because when we did our budget hearing, the difference was $800,000, I believe is what it was. That was before we made that adjustment where we accidentally were double dipping in the road department. There was another adjustment that was made as far as . . .”

“I guess is what my question is that we didn’t, what I remember us talking about when we had the extra million we took half of it away and put the other half in cash reserves, Right, Jason?” said Johnson. “You recommended that?”

“Yep,” said Hightower.

“That we didn’t take that out of cash reserves. I guess is some question that we left the half that we were talking that we was drawn in cash reserves,” said Johnson.

“That may be correct,” Souza said. “I uploaded the most recent copy of the proposed budget to your SharePoint. And keep in mind that we will have a budget workshop immediately following this meeting with our CPA who will be here in person today.”

“I just thought that was another way we could get to that,” said Hightower. “I think we’ve been through the budgets a lot. I don’t see where with our philosophies and the way things have been done where economic development is high on our list of priorities.”

Hamilton then asked Hightower what his plan was with the website, the airport and all the other things that Ware was tasked to do? Are you going to take on the website?

Nope, answered Hightower.

"Okay, are you going to take on anything that was on her table?” asked Hamilton. “Anything in her job description?”

Again, the answer was no.

“Okay, who do you want to push those items over to?” A sked Hamilton.

“I haven’t made any decisions regarding that. I’m only one third of the commission,” said Hightower.

“Well we have a website that . .  .” said Hamilton.

“Has been there forever,” said Hightower. 

“Well, we’ve paid for a new website. We’ve used county taxpayers’ dollars to pay for the website and no one has been in touch with CivicPlus. So, I think that should be a high priority for someone to take on,” said Hamilton.

“When was the last time the last time the economic development committee met. Does anyone know?” asked Hamilton.

“Oh, no I haven’t got the notices as far as quite awhile, but I’m on that just to set on the board. I’m not a voting member, but I haven’t got anything,” said Johnson.

“Well, they’re not going to meet without a director, right?” stated Hightower.

Right, said Johnson.

“I didn’t say that they would. I asked when the last time they met was,” said Hamilton.

“I don’t have an answer for you, Ali,” said Hightower.

“I’m open to discuss eliminating the position completely but I want to work through the budget first,” said Hamilton. “And then the money that is currently there I would be in favor of putting that . . .  What did you just say? Where did you want to move it?”

“Special equipment as we have for doing things within the industrial park,” said Hightower.

“I’m not. Is it just industrial park? That’s the only options on usage?” asked Hamilton. “Can you use it on print material or advertising or brochures or anything like that?”

I don’t know, said Hightower.

Souza stepped in with an answer, “It’s the general fund, so you could.”

“I’d rather see Janet (Janet Reynolds, La Cygne Library Director) and her group come in or someone else that’s trying to do something. I mean I’ve had Kansas Wildlife and Parks reach out on the Critzer Lake brochure. There’s lots of things that need to be reprinted in this county. We now have the logo approved,” said Hamilton.

Souza added, “In addition, it’s economic development’s job to handle the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds. That would need to be reassigned.”

“And we’re still as far as what’s left there, Jesse. The ARPA funds if we do buy the trucks. The ARPA funds are and we need to stay on top of that, right?,” said Johnson.

Hightower said yes the county had until the end of the year to spend the ARPA funds.

Johnson asked Public Works Administrator Jesse Walton if they had until the end of the year on the ARPA funds.

Walton said he believed that was so. He said he would go back through that paperwork today.

Johnson verified that the county had gone out for bids on the trucks for the landfill.

Walton said those bids were due on the third.of next month.

Hightower said he did not think it was going to be a monumental task to take care of the airport and other things.

“I mean, they haven’t done anything or gone anywhere,”said Hightower.

“You’re just saying leaving the job open? Is what your are wanting to do is leave the job for a year or do it completely away?” asked Johnson.                                                                                               “I’m saying that we don’t fill the position, and that we subtract those things from the budget that are deemed as what’s unnecessary at this moment due to that fact and roll on from there,” said Hightower.. “And determine whether at budget time next year if we think we need something in those lines or build it back the way we want it to be and how it’ll go.That’s what I’m proposing.”

The discussion turned to the new public works assistant that the county was going to hire. Walton said that he would like to close that position and get rid of it.When asked by Johnson if he would be able to handle it without the assistant, Walton said he’d been doing a fair job with the way things are at the current moment.

“I feel that it is not a necessary position at the moment,” said Walton.

“So, we’re $140,000 from being revenue neutral,” asked Johnson.

Hightower corrected him, saying that it was $153,00.

Souza said she did ask the CPA to give the commissioners a tentative budget if they eliminated eco devo. She said she believed that would move the county closer to $50,000, $56,000 away from revenue neutral. Souza said that this would be if eco devo were eliminated and taking the rest of the funds budgeted for eco devo this year and moving that to cash reserves, carrying that forward and then not using it for 2026. Then, she said they would be only $53,000 away from revenue neutral.

“And then we could take the rest of that out of contingency or something along those lines to meet our demand,” asked Hightower.

“Can we finalize eco devo and then move on to the budget?” asked Hamilton.

County Counselor Jacklyn Paletta reminded them that they were not at the budget workshop yet and that hearing was after this. 

“I’m not saying we have to make this decision today at this meeting. I’m just proposing it as a way of meeting the budget,” said Hightower.

“Jacklyn, did you contact the industrial park sale?” asked Hamilton. “Is that a go or a no go?”

“It’s not a no-go as discussed,” said Paletta, apparently referring to discussion held behind closed doors.

“So there were quite a few things that Chasity was working on. However, we’re going to have to pick up the slack if you’re trying even now. Even right now, right now we have to either delegate it or as commissioners, she was under us, so we handle what she has going on right here at this time,” said Hamilton. “And that’s where I feel like we are all disconnected. There are things that need to be addressed. Airport, I don’t really care as much about that right now. Keep it the way it is. Keep paying Pleasanton, right? The website.”

“Information Technology, (IT) for the website. Probably where it should have been all along,” said Hightower.

“I think you need to bring him in and talk to him about it next week,” said Hamilton.

Both Hightower and Johnson agreed.

“Can we continue, Jason? If we eliminated the position, can we continue with economic development committee monthly and have Jim still oversee those to kind of give us an idea of what the county is still wanting? Would you be okay with that?” asked Hamilton.        

“I don’t necessarily see the point. I mean, I think the idea behind it is for that to be the sounding board of the economic development director,” said Hightower.

“Okay. So, what about the entrepreneur?” asked Hamilton.

Youth Entrepreneurship Challenge or whatever, said Hightower.

“That’s just done. We’re not going to do that?” asked Hamilton.

Hightower said that was correct.

“But you could do that. Just use the board. They did a lot of the work anyways,” said Hamilton. “You could still do it having the committee organize it.”

“You have a chairman on the board if they choose to do it,” said Johnson. “If they choose to stay on and entrepreneurship and if they choose to want to do the legwork for that. But as far as a voting delegate or voting member, I was not. I just sat there because basically I was one of the three that was funding their budgets.”

“Well, every time they had anything or needed money, it was always brought back from eco devo to the podium and the commission still had to vote on it. So, why don’t we just let chairman handle that position if they are willing to do that or still willing to meet?” asked Hamilton. 

Hightower agreed

“There’d just be basically a few things that they could do, like you say, about the grant money,” said Johnson.

“You don’t think tourism and history and all that a is important for the county?” asked Hamilton. “I still do believe that’s very important and I think that having those committee members and get help and have our support is still very important to the county. And I do believe I would like to keep them all intact if that’s a possibility and have a discussion with them.“

“Do you want to reach out to the economic development?” asked Johnson.

“She has the historical committee and she has the economic development committee and the airport committee,” said Hamilton. “I do not think it’s the time to say wipe our hands clean of all of it. You have all those people that have already committed to volunteering their time to do this. They’ve been voted in positions to do that.

“There’s no reason to just let is all go. You can have the commission oversee some of these meetings, a commissioner. That’s how I look at it. Especially if we are going to eliminate the position for a year. 

“I think it’s a really poor decision to eliminate the position and then eliminate all the committees and everybody’s asking questions. What’s going on with it. I mean people are already asking me questions all the time.”

“So why get rid of the position and all of the committees and then what, and the commissioners still sit here and say we’re not going to take over anything to help,” said Hamilton. “I mean Miami County did eliminate their position last week. I did watch that. Jacklyn sent it to me. 

“But they also made a commitment to do more work and find things to bring in here. And that’s not what I feel I am hearing from this commission is that they are going to do the extra work to take care of the things that she was working on. I don’t hear that.”

“We try to delegate every single thing at this table.”

“Sure do,” said Hightower.

“Well, let the record reflect I will help in whatever manner I can regarding tourism, history and all that. Yes, I do support that. If you have more of a passion on landfills or industrial parks maybe you could take that on,” said Hamilton.