Adams County delays formal adoption of draft economic development strategic plan after commissioners seek tighter priorities

Adams County community and economic development staff presented a draft economic development strategic plan to the Adams County Board of Commissioners and received direction to refine priorities and return for further discussion rather than adopting the document at this time. Jenny Hall, Adams County community and economic development director, led the presentation and was joined by Bill Aiken, deputy director.

The plan, which staff said is designed to implement the 2022 Advancing Adams comprehensive plan, lays out goals and 72 action items across three strategy buckets—business, people and places—and ties those to near-, mid- and long-term timeframes. Hall said the draft is intended to help “position Adams County as a premier business destination” and to guide attraction, retention and expansion work while aligning with the county’s larger strategic planning efforts. She told the board, “We really want today to be an active conversation, getting input from the board.”

Staff described the division’s capacity and recent activity: the economic development team is led by a…