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Residents urge transparency of EDA funding and release of county solar health study; commissioners schedule economic development workshop
Summary
Two residents told the Community & Economic Development Committee they were concerned about pauses to EDA funding, alleged favoritism and possible reprisals, and asked the county to release a solar-panel health report by Dr. Nevin. Commissioners set an economic development workshop for Feb. 26 at 6 p.m.
At the St. Clair County Community & Economic Development Committee meeting two residents raised concerns about the county Economic Development Authority (EDA) and asked for transparency.
A resident identified only as Tyler asked whether the county would release a solar-panel report by Dr. Nevin, and urged the commission to explain why funding to the EDA had been halted and whether it would resume. "If we are gonna make the decision to have EDA more in house, my concern is ... corruption," Tyler said, expressing worry that bringing EDA functions in-house could open the program to political abuse by future commissioners. Tyler also said halting EDA funding caused disruption and asked why structural reforms could not have happened while funding continued.
David Hoffman said he shops downtown and relayed conversations he'd had with business owners who, he said, feel the EDA "isn't necessarily on the up and up" and showed favoritism. Hoffman said some business owners fear reprisal if they raised concerns publicly and urged commissioners to withhold funds that appear to support a "good old boys club."
Commissioners set a follow-up economic development workshop for Feb. 26 at 6 p.m. and voted to receive and file the EDA weekly summary packet. The committee deleted a resolution and an unintended closed-session item from its agenda earlier in the meeting.
