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Clay County commissioners debate hiring economic development director; EDC executive outlines plan to rebuild ties
Summary
Commissioners spent more than an hour debating whether to add a county economic development director to the budget, weighing costs and the need for shovel‑ready sites. Clay County EDC Executive Director Mark McAuliffe told the commission he has begun outreach, joined KCADC and plans a countywide strategy focused on trust, marketing and workforce.
Clay County commissioners on Thursday held an extended discussion about whether to add a county economic development director to the upcoming budget, with commissioners divided over costs, strategy and the county’s relationship with the Clay County Economic Development Corporation (EDC).
Commissioner Worthington introduced the discussion as part of the budget process, saying the county lags peers in job and wage growth and asking whether hiring a director would help attract businesses. “I asked Damon to put this on there as a discussion topic,” Worthington said.
Commissioners questioned both the cost and the likely effectiveness of a new county staffer. Several members said hiring a director paid $95,000–$120,000 in salary would carry additional benefits and overhead that could push the total recurring cost well above $120,000 annually; one commissioner estimated total first‑year costs could exceed $200,000 when benefits and operating expenses are included. Others noted past attempts to create county economic entities, including a prior economic development alliance that “crashed and burned,” and urged better coordination with municipal EDCs.
Commissioner Lawson and others urged more engagement with the Clay County EDC and the municipalities before creating a new county position. “I think we need to pull the cities into it,” Lawson said, calling for a united countywide approach and cautioning against duplicating work already done by city EDCs.
Commissioner Wagner and others argued that a single director would need shovel‑ready, competitive sites and additional infrastructure investment to be successful. “For the bigger projects…they require water mains, other roads, other investment to make them ready to be developed,” Wagner said, adding that hiring a director without a clear supply of developable property would risk setting the position up to fail.
Several commissioners proposed a near‑term step: invite municipal EDCs to present projects and needs to the commission or hold a county economic summit to identify what the county could offer and what cities need. Administrator Damon had earlier offered to schedule presentations by city EDCs.
Mark McAuliffe, the newly hired executive director of Clay County EDC, spoke to the commission and outlined immediate steps he is taking since joining the organization 60 days earlier. McAuliffe said the EDC has joined the Kansas City Area Development Council (KCADC) to gain access to regional prospecting resources, and he emphasized restoring trust and communication with the commission and municipal partners. “The number 1 thing is rebuilding trust,” McAuliffe said.
McAuliffe described a multi‑pronged plan that includes better marketing materials (a “sizzle reel”), outreach to developers, small‑business lending activity (he said the EDC closed roughly $2 million in loans in the past 60 days with $7 million in the pipeline), roundtable meetings with members, and coordination on workforce‑development and site readiness. He said the EDC has scheduled one‑on‑one meetings with developers and municipal partners and is planning a summit to align priorities. “When opportunity knocks, it's too late to prepare,” McAuliffe said, urging more proactive work on site catalogs and incentives.
Several commissioners said they welcomed the EDC’s renewed activity but reiterated concerns about governance and information flow. Commissioners said past funding to the EDC had been reduced amid trust issues and that the commission wants clearer, regular reporting. Commissioner Worthington and others said the commission has repeatedly asked to select a nonvoting executive‑board liaison who would communicate EDC information directly to the commission; EDC representatives said proposed bylaw changes are under committee review and would be presented to the full EDC board in September.
No formal decision to add a county economic development director to the budget was made at the meeting. Commissioners agreed to continue the discussion, gather plans and presentations from municipal EDCs and the Clay County EDC, and consider next steps in the budget process.
The commission did not take any budgetary action or vote on the staffing proposal during the meeting.
