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Washington County commissioners debate ending MOU with Economic Development Council; call for workshop instead of immediate action
Summary
After hours of public comment and an extended board discussion, commissioners directed staff to convene a leadership meeting to redesign the county–EDC relationship and urged no hasty personnel moves; EDC leaders warned that cutting funding or dissolving the MOU immediately would disrupt ongoing projects.
The Washington County Board of County Commissioners spent the bulk of its meeting debating whether to terminate a memorandum of understanding that governs the county’s relationship with the Washington County Economic Development Council (EDC).
County Administrator (speaker 20) recommended dissolving the existing MOU and bringing the county’s economic development director onto county payroll and benefit plans, saying the current arrangement — where the EDC operates under the Chamber of Commerce and the county funds the position — lacks sufficient county oversight. The administrator said moving the director onto county staff would improve accountability and allow the county to “make the investment” necessary to recruit and retain talent.
Tracy Andrews, chair of the EDC (speaker 25), told the commissioners the EDC has delivered “measurable wins” for the county and that the current MOU was designed to enable a public–private partnership. “We are responding. We’re building. We’re actively developing a portfolio of potential parcels and sites across Washington County,” Andrews said, urging the board not to defund or immediately terminate the EDC while stakeholders work through governance changes.
Mister Ellis (speaker 22), a longtime EDC board member, urged the board to pause the current process. He said the EDC relies on county funding to operate and warned that abrupt funding cuts would leave the organization unable to function. “We cannot survive and function without funding from the county,” Ellis said.
Several commissioners expressed concern about transparency and the need to reconcile confidentiality protections for prospect development (statutory nondisclosure provisions) with the county’s public-meeting (sunshine law) obligations. Commissioners also raised practical questions about payroll and benefits, noting that moving the director in-house could add roughly $40,000 in benefits and related costs on top of the $75,000 line item currently budgeted for the EDC director.
Rather than vote to terminate the MOU immediately, the board directed the chair and the county administrator to convene a leadership meeting including legal counsel, EDC and chamber representatives, and county staff to draft a clearer organizational structure and procedures. Multiple commissioners requested that no immediate employment actions be taken against the EDC director while the process proceeds; the EDC’s executive director is on administrative leave, the EDC said.
Why it matters: The EDC has been a central vehicle for recruiting industry and managing site certification efforts in Washington County; changes to its governance and funding could affect how the county markets industrial sites, uses private donations and hospital-lease funds, and handles confidential prospect information.
Next steps: The board asked staff to organize a workshop and return proposals for restructuring the MOU or establishing a new county-led advisory structure. Commissioners said they want to maintain municipal involvement (Chipley, Vernon, Ebro, Wausau, Caryville) and explore hybrid options that preserve private-sector participation while increasing county oversight.
