Macoupin County Economic Development Committee met September 26.
Here is the minutes provided by the committee:
I. Call To Order
Present: Armour, Starr, Lewis, Long, Pomatto, Reiher, Rull, Thomas, Duncan, Dragovich
Absent:
II. Agenda Items
1. West Central Planning Commission - Michael Sherer
Michael Sherer from the West Central Planning Commission was present to provide information regarding the organization. Over the past few years, West Central has been hurting for funding and recently declined a matching grant, which caused a cascade effect. Multiple entities have refused to send in their dues and funding for the commission, and instead went ahead on their own in applying for grants. This resulted in a severe underfunding for the Commission and the seven county area will not be represented if the current Commission folds. Due to changes in state law, projects must be shovel ready in order to apply for grants. The Commission's grants are being cut into by engineering firms and other actors who are step-siding the Commission. In applying for grants, the governing body did not work well with the Commission, especially in regards to guidelines for the applications. The governing body, which is tasked with improving municipal areas, has had issues with the Commission, and contacted the County in regards to the creation of a new agency to take over. Montgomery and Greene Counties have both expressed interest in the new agency and other counties are unsure. The new commission is looking for around $70,000 for the formation, but the payment by each county has not been worked out; the proposed commission has not provided a lot of vital information. If Macoupin County stays in the current Commission, the Commission would still help out with grants for the counties paying dues. According to Sherer, the counties must pay dues to get EDA grants, but this has not been enforced. The current Commission works in job placement for the counties in the seven county area, regardless of whether they pay dues. The discussion revolved around how the EDA grants are awarded and the current undertakings. It was suggested that the local colleges should be contacted to see what they could bring to the table in regards to development. Lastly, it was decided that the County needs more information before deciding what course of action to take.
http://macoupincountyil.iqm2.com/Citizens/FileOpen.aspx?Type=15&ID=3454&Inline=True
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