As noted in last Saturday’s Democrat-Leader, Fayette council members have dramatically reduced the city’s investment in the Howard County Economic Development Council.

Meeting Sept. 15, members voted to budget $5,000 for 2010; whereas, in 2008 and 2009, the city’s investment was $20,000 each year.

Launched in the summer of 2008, the county-wide effort came about as an attempt to pool resources to enable employment of a full-time economic development director.

The council itself is headed by Howard Electric General Manager Richard Fowler. After commitments were in place, the council hired JoAnn Sumner to serve as the county’s economic development director, with offices in the Keller Building.  

At the Sept. 15 council meeting, several Fayette aldermen noted dissatisfaction with the results of Sumner’s efforts to date, although the HCEDC points to a number of achievements since its inception.

These include:

• Saving 10 jobs and helping to create 60 new jobs. Two Fayette residents work at Glasgow’s American Discovery Textiles Manufacturing, one of the businesses that was preserved and assisted in expanding with help from HCEDC.

• Responding to 16 requests for information from prospective new businesses. Six of those requests remain ongoing; that is, business owners continue to investigate either establishing operations in the county or expanding.

• Establishing the county as an Enhanced Enterprise Zone. This status provides tax incentives for prospective businesses.

• Establishing an economic development office and a web-site.

HCEDC member Kirk Biere, who is also a member of the Glasgow city council, praised Sumner’s work at a July Fayette city council meeting. He referred to American Discovery Textiles Manufacturing in Glasgow. “JoAnn got the ball rolling. If it wasn’t for her, we wouldn’t have saved American Discovery, ” he said.

But many Fayette council members feel Sumner is not paying enough attention to this city, which has been the chief investor in the HCEDC. Mayor Joe Bex said it was “rare” to get an audience with Sumner for the city’s economic development committee. Council member Wally Eaton said he feels Sumner ought to attend all council meetings. The most outspoken alderman has been Jan Addison who bluntly stated, “It’s a waste of money.”

The HCEDC currently has 19 members with most investing $1,000 to $5,000. Now that Fayette has reduced its contribution, it no longer is the top investor. Howard Electric  now holds that unofficial title, contributing $12,000 to HCEDC. The second highest investor is Central Methodist University which is chipping-in $10,000 annually.

Those contributing in 2009 are: