Council approves one-year renewal with Georgia Southern for small-business recruiter, plans 2026 transition

The Statesboro City Council approved a one-year renewal of its partnership with the Georgia Southern University Research and Service Foundation to continue funding a small-business recruiter, with the new term beginning July 1, 2025. City staff said the council and university agreed to keep the position at Georgia Southern for one year and transition it to the Development Authority of Bullock County on July 1, 2026.

City staff said the arrangement originally started as a multi-year partnership to place a small-business recruiter in the university setting while the city considered where the position should be housed. "What I recommend is a 1 year agreement with the university," a staff presenter told council, explaining the short renewal would allow the city to tie the position closer to its economic development and industrial recruitment efforts before transitioning it to the development authority.

Officials described financial contributions and leveraging from the university: staff said the city has been funding roughly $125,000 per year toward the position and that the total investment when combined with university contributions is approximately $200,000. City staff noted the university has benefited by counting the effort toward Economic Development Administration (EDA) grant activity and that coordination among the city, the development authority and the university could increase access to outside funding.

Council discussion included confirming that further financial details would return to the council for review. Staff said an MOU between Georgia Southern and the development authority may be developed for specific activities ahead of the planned 2026 transition. The motion to approve the one-year renewal carried after a motion, second and voice vote recorded in the transcript as "aye."