Clayton County officials discuss consolidating economic development functions under Development Authority

The Development Authority of Clayton County and the Clayton County Board of Commissioners met in a joint special call April 29 to review recommendations from an outside consultant on reorganizing the county's economic development functions, updating the county's strategic economic plan and moving more marketing and deal-making authority to the Development Authority.

The recommendations, summarized at the meeting by Development Authority members, included that the Development Authority serve as a single point of contact for prospects, that all current responsibilities of the county Office of Economic Development be transitioned to the Development Authority, and that the county and the authority update and use a consolidated strategic plan to guide recruitment and infrastructure priorities.

"We have to brand, brand, brand," Dr. Bridal, who called the Development Authority portion of the meeting to order, said at the joint session. "Perception is reality." Dr. Bridal told commissioners and authority members the consulting firm (identified in the meeting as the Chasing Group) recommended the authority function as the central, non-political entity that can issue bonds and package large projects.

Clayton County Office of Economic Development project manager Kayla Chase gave a brief calendar update at the start of the session and told commissioners the office will hold events for Economic Development Week on May 15 and May 16, including a small-business open house and a community developers roundtable. "We have 2 events coming up for our Economic Development Week," Chase said.

During the presentation the authority described several specific tools and resources it said are available for redevelopment. The authority said it has a Tax Allocation District (TAD) reserve for a commercial corridor of about $7 million, which it proposed using for corridor improvements or to backbond deals; it also described remaining ARPA funds directed toward small-business support and limited workforce training. The authority cited a recent bond it said it closed for an expansion by a local manufacturer (referred to in the meeting as a $238,000,000 bond) and described that expansion as creating roughly 300 new positions.

Multiple commissioners and authority members emphasized the need to update the county's comprehensive strategic economic plan (the authority referenced a plan dated July 13, 2021) and to align messaging across county government. Several commissioners said they supported meeting more frequently than the annual update currently called for in the intergovernmental agreement between the county and the Development Authority. The chairwoman asked that the two bodies follow the IGA's quarterly update schedule and start working from the strategic plan as a shared playbook.

Public commenters praised parts of the presentation and urged financial prudence. "The taxpayers should be the priority," Orlando Gooden, a District 3 resident, said during the public-comment period, urging officials to avoid tax breaks that burden homeowners.

No formal decision to consolidate county economic development staff under the Development Authority was recorded at the meeting. Commissioners and authority members agreed to continue discussions, to pursue the consultant's recommendations as a starting point and to schedule more frequent meetings under the existing intergovernmental agreement.

Votes at the meeting were routine: the board adopted the meeting agenda and later voted to adjourn. The meeting closed after public comment and no additional binding actions on consolidation, staffing, or budget transfers were taken at the session.

Looking ahead, the authority said it will follow up with commissioners about next steps: updating the strategic plan, developing a consolidated communications/branding approach, and resolving the scope and timing of any transfer of Office of Economic Development responsibilities. Authority members said they are continuing an external executive search for a chief executive (presented in the meeting as a president/executive role) and that the Chasing Group is still interviewing candidates.