Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Economic Development topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Cass County commissioners press Market 1 for clearer reporting, weigh continuation of contract
Summary
At a Dec. 19, 2024 meeting, commissioners sharply questioned Market 1’s work for Cass County, asking for monthly details of businesses engaged and how county funds are spent; several members said they want one more year with stronger reporting while others urged ending the contract.
At their Dec. 19, 2024 meeting, the Cass County Board of Commissioners debated the county’s economic-development contract with Market 1, with several commissioners pressing the regional organization for clearer reporting on its work inside Cass County.
Commissioner Ryan Leland said the board has “asked numerous times” for a simple monthly update from Market 1 showing which companies the organization has contacted and what county funds are buying. He added that Market 1 selected a replacement for a county board seat without first discussing that choice with the county board, a practice he said he opposes.
A second commissioner, who said a meeting with Market 1 “was not a good one,” said Market 1 appears to give the county “lip service” and that “we're just giving them money and they're not helping us.” That speaker criticized the roughly $10,000-a-month cost and urged redirecting funds to a locally managed economic-development group and a grant writer.
Other commissioners defended Market 1’s work and called for improved accountability rather than an immediate termination. One member noted Market 1 helped 15 small Cass County businesses during the COVID period by connecting them to state relief funds and cited local examples such as a recent business expansion. Several colleagues said they had received an October 30 report from Market 1 that purportedly focused on Cass County; some members said they had not seen it and asked that such reports be included in regular board meeting materials.
The board did not vote on terminating Market 1’s contract at the meeting. Several commissioners said they would give Market 1 another year to produce more detailed quarterly or monthly reports showing which businesses were contacted and the outcomes, and to include those materials in county meeting packets. Others said they opposed continuing the relationship unless the county receives demonstrable, local outcomes.
Next steps: commissioners asked administration staff to ensure Market 1’s reports are included in future meeting packets and for the county’s Economic Development Committee to track Market 1’s engagement with Cass County businesses. No formal action to alter the contract was taken at the Dec. 19 meeting.
