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Sponsor says Lewis County fix will ease board recruitment; committee hears brief public support
Summary
Rep. Greg Sharp told the committee HB3028 clarifies Industrial Development Corporation board membership in Lewis County to allow at-large members; a former county official testified the change would relieve recruitment burdens. Committee members asked for language and fiscal-note clarifications before the bill moves.
Rep. Greg Sharp, sponsor of House Bill 3028, told the House Local Government Committee the measure is a narrowly tailored fix to a decades-old provision affecting Lewis County’s Industrial Development Corporation board composition.
"It's the Lewis County fix," Sharp said, explaining the bill would allow more at-large appointments so the county can fill board vacancies in a large, sparsely populated area where recruiting township representatives has become difficult. Sharp said the language largely reaffirms existing practice but removes special provisions that had been inserted years ago after a local dispute.
Craig Redmond, a Lewis County commissioner and retired state representative, testified in favor and said the change would "alleviate" trouble recruiting board members for the county’s large rural townships and that local leaders will work with the bill handler to clean up statutory language.
Committee members asked the sponsor to check statutory references and the fiscal note, which staff flagged as inconsistent with current census population figures; Sharp said the county director was unavailable but that local officials support cleaning the language. The committee closed the public hearing without recorded opposition and moved on to other bills.
Next steps were not announced in the transcript; sponsors indicated willingness to draft a house committee substitute to refine wording if necessary.
