Board reviews draft MOU defining roles between Stafford County and Economic Development Authority

Stafford County — Stafford County staff presented a draft memorandum of understanding (MOU) meant to set administrative “guardrails” for how the county’s economic development department and the Economic Development Authority (EDA) will divide duties and use county resources.

Liz Barber, Stafford County director of economic development, told the Board of Supervisors the draft started nearly a year ago and “is a long time coming,” and that the document aims to make clear “what things should be handled within the department, which things are EDA responsibilities, and which are joint efforts.”

The MOU lays out administrative details such as access to EDA bank accounts and password controls, loan‑underwriting roles and the scope of staff support. Barber said the draft was developed with input from county administration, the EDA and county legal counsel and that legal had reviewed the text.

Why it matters: Supervisors said the absence of clear roles has caused confusion in the past and has limited the county’s ability to coordinate economic development activities. Several supervisors supported…