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Starke County delays decision on Economic Development Foundation funding after commissioners press for plan and accountability
Summary
Starke County commissioners tabled a request to increase the county contract with the Economic Development Foundation from roughly $89,000 to $130,000, citing a lack of a capital improvement plan (CIP), quarterly reporting and an explicit strategy to respond to SB 1; board members asked for measurable outcomes before approving new funds.
Commissioners in Starke County on Monday paused a request to increase the county contract with the local Economic Development Foundation (EDF), saying they want a clearer strategic plan and measurable reporting before committing more taxpayer dollars.
An EDF representative asked the board to raise the contract from about $89,000 to $130,000 — a $40,000 increase she said would fund adult education, workforce pipeline work with Ivy Tech, and programming including a 40-foot mobile learning lab. She told the board the foundation recently ran a QuickBooks class for 13 local businesses and has other classes scheduled with the Indiana Small Business Development Corporation.
Commissioner Roberta raised procedural and accountability concerns, saying she contacted the Department of Local Government Finance and was told "The DLGF told me directly that any county collecting that tax and tax must have a capital improvement plan and that our commissioners needed to have it completed by the end of this year." She said the county had not received a publicly shared CIP, quarterly reporting or measurable outcomes from the EDF and asked whether the foundation had presented a plan to respond to Senate Bill 1, which changes how some rural counties can capture property tax revenue.
EDF representatives said they are working on programming and that their comp plan is dated (2019), that they are engaging stakeholders and that they could provide quarterly KPIs if the board adjusted the contract language to require reporting. The foundation described current work around business retention, workforce development and small business classes and said some local municipalities had withdrawn participation, limiting resources.
After back-and-forth about whether the board would be comfortable approving a two-year contract and requests for additional documentation, the board voted to table the request and asked the EDF to return with a package in December so both commissioners and the county council can review it. The motion to table passed with an affirmative vote.
What's next: The EDF will be invited back to present contract documents and any strategic or capital planning materials at the first December commissioners meeting; the board asked for written materials in advance and indicated it would expect clearer reporting requirements if funding is approved.
