Business Development Board asks county for modest budget boost as manufacturers, employers testify to economic benefits

The Business Development Board of Martin County (BDB) presented its 2024 annual report and audited financials to the Board of County Commissioners on April 22 and asked the county to consider a modest increase in operating support to add programming focused on small-business lending and cybersecurity help for manufacturers.

BDB request and rationale: William Corbin, the BDB’s executive director, asked the county to raise its contribution by about 4% from $465,000 to $485,000 for fiscal year 2026 and to allow the board’s operating budget to include roughly $61,000 in new programming. Corbin said the new funds would support an Access-to-Capital initiative and entrepreneur-education programs and help smaller manufacturers comply with new cybersecurity requirements that can be costly for firms serving defense supply chains.

The BDB framed the request as a targeted investment to grow the local tax base and retain contributory businesses. In his presentation Corbin said the BDB’s retention-and-expansion work contributed to about $50 million of capital investment and 315,000 square feet of commercial real estate activity in the county last year; the board also cited specific projects including Daher Aerospace and a prospective Power Systems Manufacturing project tied to a tangible personal‑property incentive.

Why it matters: Multiple manufacturers and local employers told the commission that BDB assistance helps them expand in Martin County and delivers jobs and tax revenue. Steven Hartz of Value2 In Engineering and Debbie Pease of Daher described BDB help in connecting to permitting, workforce partners and state resources; Daher said it plans about $30 million of facility investment to assemble aircraft in Stewart and expand local production lines.

Board action and next steps: The board formally received the BDB annual report and audit during the meeting (the receipt satisfied a contractual reporting requirement). County staff clarified the BDB’s actual budget request will be considered through the regular county budget process; no appropriation was approved at the April 22 meeting. Commissioner Campe and several colleagues expressed support for the BDB’s work and said they expect to consider the funding request during the FY26 budget hearings.

Opposition and finance context: The BDB said it had lost a $10,000 annual contribution from the City of Stuart and faces rising overhead costs. Commissioner Vargas said the county should cut spending generally and criticized routine funding increases; other commissioners urged the BDB to continue diversifying private funding and to include performance measures in future budget requests.

Clarifying details: The BDB said its request represents roughly a $20,000 increase in county contribution (from $465,000 to $485,000) and that the $61,000 in new programming would support a small-business loan toolkit, export education and a cybersecurity compliance loan product administered via a CDFI partner. Corbin said private-sector investment remains the larger determinant of net new job growth but emphasized business retention as a key county priority.

Ending: The commission accepted the BDB’s report and audit and directed that the board’s budget request be considered through the normal FY26 budget process; no appropriation was made on April 22.