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Clay County EDC leader urges larger budget and staff to pursue shovel‑ready projects
Summary
Bill Garrison told commissioners Clay EDC operates with two staff and roughly $250,000 and recommended a $450,000–$500,000 annual budget and three professional staff to pursue projects, improve follow‑up and create a consistent business‑development effort.
Bill Garrison summarized Clay County’s local economic development work and asked commissioners to consider expanding public investment in the EDC to make the operation more proactive.
"We have 2 people and $250,000," Garrison said, explaining that the county office runs on a very modest budget compared with the regional partnership. He told commissioners his ideal would be "about a half million dollar a year budget, and you'd have 3 professionals working in there." Garrison described the recommended team as consisting of a project manager, a salesperson and a marketing person.
Garrison and other presenters emphasized two operational priorities: workforce development and real estate inventory. He told the board that many companies prefer existing, market‑ready buildings and urged county support to reduce developer risk (for example, by delaying tax collection until a building is tenanted or by funding targeted workforce training tied to a project).
Commissioners raised questions about realistic metrics and return on investment. Garrison cautioned that economic development is a long game and that metrics should be set to reflect factors the EDC can control. He offered to provide time‑series job data and said the county has grown from about 45,000 to roughly 50,000 jobs during his tenure.
No formal vote took place; commissioners asked the EDC board and staff to return with prioritized action items, clearer budget scenarios and measurable milestones before making any funding commitments.
