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Commission presses consultant for SEDS deliverables as manufacturing and defense chapters lag
Summary
EDC members criticized delays in the county's Strategic Economic Development Strategy (SEDS) work, extended the consultant's contract term at no additional cost, and requested deeper, more actionable analysis for manufacturing, defense clustering and comparable communities.
Commissioners spent a substantial portion of the Sept. 16 meeting reviewing the county's Strategic Economic Development Strategy (SEDS) project and voiced frustration with delayed background studies and perceived superficial drafts from the consultant.
Robin (EDC staff) and Chris (EDC staff) outlined where drafts exist and where materials remain outstanding. Commissioners noted that several background studies and the manufacturing/defense chapters — repeatedly promised — were not yet ready. One commissioner said the economic and demographic analysis “is basically from material from our website,” and others described draft sections as “shallow” and in need of more depth.
Staff told the commission it is extending the University of Maryland contract to allow the consultant additional time to deliver required SEDS components; Robin said this is a no‑cost extension of the original contract. Commissioners pressed staff and consultant to provide clearer timelines, to produce action steps and metrics in October if possible, and to involve industry and constituent groups (for example, the Farm Bureau, Ag‑Seafood Board and the manufacturing forum) in reviewing drafts.
Members proposed several process changes: meet more frequently through work sessions, form smaller working groups to "divide and conquer" chapter reviews, and visit peer communities that have recovered from base reductions (several commissioners suggested trips to places such as Huntsville and Monroe County/Key West to study recovery strategies). Commissioners also discussed zoning flexibility to accommodate light manufacturing in office/business park zones and asked staff to produce factual inventories — for instance, how much industrially zoned land and how much flex/industrial space is developed versus available.
The commission discussed a cluster analysis being prepared by a consultant referred to in the transcript as Dr. Dempwolf (name appears with multiple spellings). Staff said the consultant's cluster work and the state OEA pilot should dovetail, with some analyses at the patent level and some at the firm level. Commissioners asked staff to ensure the consultant removes energy from a cluster list where it appeared to be a "false positive," and to return with clarified comparables and examples of communities that had diversified after base contractions.
No formal vote to terminate or replace the consultant was recorded; commissioners said that if drafts do not substantively improve, they may consider stronger action.
