Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Economic Development topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Montgomery County Action Council outlines job projects, site certifications and talent incentives
Summary
Melissa Johnson of the Montgomery County Action Council reported on business support, successful Forge grants, Team Kansas membership expansion, new and pending certified sites, and several development projects expected to add construction work and permanent jobs to the county.
Melissa Johnson, representing the Montgomery County Action Council, told the Montgomery County Board of County Commissioners about recent economic development activity across the county and the agency’s priorities for the coming months.
Johnson said the Action Council had helped five small businesses win Forge grants ranging from $2,500 to $5,000, assisted with grant applications, hosted community conversations in Coffeeville, Independence and Cherryville, and ran workshops including a small-business energy workshop in Caney. "Montgomery County Action Council is the economic development agency for the county, and we are taking a holistic approach when it comes to economic development," Johnson said.
She described several projects the Action Council is marketing or assisting: Project Channel (Spears Manufacturing) has contracted to expand in Caney and is expected to employ about 70 construction workers during build-out and add about 75 permanent jobs over five years; the project value was stated as approximately $22,000,000. Project Jayhawk, led by an Oklahoma development group, is pursuing a technology-related facility that Johnson said could bring about 30 skilled full‑time positions and roughly 200 construction workers during construction. Johnson also said the county has more certified sites than any other county in the state and that several sites — including a Caney 60‑acre site and a split Coffeeville Industrial Park — are under review by the Kansas Department of Commerce.
Johnson said the Action Council increased its Team Kansas membership to the $10,000 level with matching contributions from Coffeyville, Caney, Cherryville and Independence, enabling two county representatives to attend site‑selector events. She said the agency is planning a Southeast Kansas familiarization tour for 2026 to bring site selectors into the area.
On workforce, Johnson described a talent attraction campaign funded with ARPA dollars that will match employer recruitment incentives up to $5,000; she said the program is being used to help fill hard‑to‑staff roles such as dispatchers, police officers and EMTs. Johnson also listed upcoming events: an entrepreneurship workshop on May 22 at the Independence Civic Center, an AI workshop in June, and the Taste of Montgomery County fundraiser on Sept. 18 at Lakeside Cedar Lodge in Cherryville.
Commissioners asked clarifying questions about which parcels are city‑owned versus county‑owned for the Coffeyville certified site; Johnson responded that the 60‑acre site is city-owned and that the Coffeeville Industrial Park was being split into two parcels to improve marketability. No formal board action was taken; the presentation was an informational update.
