St. Mary’s County EDC wins $184,129 appropriation; commissioners approve TEDCO contract

St. Mary’s County Economic Development Commission members on Dec. 17 received a series of project updates and were told county commissioners approved funding for several economic development efforts, including an appropriation “not to exceed $184,129.”

The updates centered on the county’s Strategic Economic Development Strategy (SEDS) work with the University of Maryland and Towson University, a tourism and hospitality master-plan study, and support for a local innovation effort. “They recognize that our dependency on the Navy is real,” Economic Development staff member Miss Finnicom told the commission, adding commissioners asked for analysis that leads to concrete action rather than restating known facts.

Why it matters: the SEDS work is a federal grant-driven baseline analysis intended to guide local economic diversification. Commissioners’ funding decisions enable additional studies and local initiatives the universities’ scopes did not cover, and a TEDCO contract will provide technical support for the county’s Southern Maryland innovation and technology (SMIT) activities.

Details and timeline

- Tourism hospitality study: Staff said the county will issue a request for proposals (RFP) for a tourism/hospitality master plan, intended to be as comprehensive for that sector as the SEDS is for the rest of the county. Staff said the RFP was expected to go out by January and that the county hopes to fold the tourism plan findings into the SEDS final document, with a target of finishing the combined work by September of the following year.

- South County action plan: The tourism RFP will include a specific action plan focused on South County (examples cited included Point Lookout State Park and waterfront restaurants). The action plan is intended to identify improvements that make a South County visit a clearer destination experience and help capture economic spillovers along routes into the region.

- Innovation and TEDCO: Commissioners approved execution of a contract with the Maryland Technology Development Corporation (TEDCO) to begin Jan. 1 and run through the end of the fiscal year; the contract is intended to support the SMIT initiative and local pitch events. Miss Finnicom said the county will use TEDCO and a related cooperative agreement to staff and run monthly meetups, local pitch contests and other activities intended to raise the profile of county innovation efforts.

- Discretionary appropriation and ongoing funding: Staff said the commissioners approved an appropriation “not to exceed $184,129” to cover project work that falls outside current consultant scopes; the county maintains an annual set-aside fund of up to $250,000 that requires commissioners’ approval for use.

Consultant outreach and focus groups

Staff reported consultants are conducting sector focus groups and SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats) sessions with industry representatives across agriculture, seafood, forestry, retail, service businesses and defense contractors. Staff said consultants will also meet with the Chamber of Commerce board, young professionals, and higher-education representatives to broaden input. Attendance at recent sector meetings was described as “a very healthy crowd” (about 25 people at one session) and staff said additional focus groups will be scheduled after the first of the year.

Board engagement and policy analysis questions

Commission members asked how the EDC can identify subjects that fall outside the current scopes of work and suggested the commission should have a stronger role in reviewing consultant scope and priorities. Commissioners and board members pressed staff to explore public-policy and regulatory issues (impact fees, permitting timelines, land-use rules) that can affect business costs and housing affordability. Staff agreed to reach out to the Chamber’s government-relations committee, the building industry, and realtors to map policy trends over recent years and identify persistent regulatory issues.

Formal actions at the meeting

- Approval of Nov. 19 minutes: Motion by Doctor Harris; second not specified in the transcript; chair announced the minutes were approved. - Commissioners approved an appropriation not to exceed $184,129 to support EDC projects outside current consultant scopes (no mover/second or vote tallies specified in the transcript). - Commissioners voted to execute a contract with TEDCO beginning Jan. 1 and running through the end of the fiscal year (no mover/second or vote tallies specified in the transcript). - Adjournment: motion and second were recorded and the meeting was adjourned.

The meeting packet and a link to the presentation were scheduled to be distributed to commission members following the session. Staff said recordings of meetings are posted on the county website several days after meetings.

Ending

Staff indicated the tourism master-plan RFP, the South County action plan, TEDCO contract work, and the discretionary appropriation together are intended to move the county beyond baseline SEDS analysis toward specific actions. Commissioners and EDC members signaled interest in adding policy and regulatory review as a complementary strand of the SEDS work to help inform economic competitiveness.