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Committee weighs county economic development role; administrators to prepare RFPs for properties including dormitory
Summary
Supervisors discussed creating a county economic development position and whether to reallocate existing resources or contract with local entities; staff said an RFP for the county dormitory and other properties will be ready by year-end and gave a high-level demolition estimate for the dormitory near $1 million.
Supervisors at the July 3 Extension Education & Economic Development Committee meeting discussed options to provide direct county support for economic development, including hiring a dedicated county economic development professional, expanding contracts with local agencies or using UW Extension services.
A supervisor proposed creating an Economic Development Officer to coordinate county-wide efforts and assist smaller municipalities that lack staff. County Administrator Leonard said he will examine options, including using UW Extension or reallocating resources within departments under the committee’s purview, but emphasized funding constraints. ‘‘If you want a new thing, what are you gonna stop? Because we do not have new revenues coming in,’’ Leonard said.
Committee members explored whether McDevco (the area economic development organization) or UW Extension could fill the role. Leonard cautioned that UW Extension’s menu of services is education-focused and that the county would have less direct control over a state-funded extension position; a contracted arrangement with McDevco would offer more operational control but would likely require new funding.
Separately, Leonard reported progress on an RFP process to divest county-owned properties. He said the county hired a part-time consultant to prepare RFPs and that draft RFPs will be ready for primary properties, listed as the dormitory, Thomas Street property and the River Drive building, with a goal of having them ready by year-end. Leonard said the consultant has helped address the tax-deed backlog and that staff will present an update to the Human Resources, Finance and Property Committee the following week.
On demolition costs for the dormitory, staff shared a high-level estimate from a demolition consultant who did not visit the site; the consultant’s square-footage-based estimate suggested demolition could be ‘‘upwards of, you know, close to a million dollars’’ depending on site logistics and material sorting. A supervisor compared that to last year’s McClellan Ramp demolition, which came in between $700,000 and $800,000.
On timing and next steps, Leonard said the one-time funds previously allocated for part-time help on RFPs were not intended to be ongoing; he said his plan was not to include that temporary funding in the next year’s base budget. He asked supervisors who favor a county-funded economic development position to provide specific deliverables by September so staff can prepare a job description and a funding plan. "If 85 or 90% of the things that the county wants are on the UW Extension list, I can maybe reallocate resources to do the 15 to 20% that aren't on that list," Leonard said.
The committee asked administration to consider a placeholder position for further discussion at HR Finance; Leonard said he will seek a job description example from other counties and explore procurement and contract options if supervisors prefer a contracted solution.
