EDC CEO asks Dickinson County for $130,000 to restore economic-development capacity

Natalie, chief executive of Driving Dickinson County, told county commissioners the organization is seeking $130,000 from the county for its 2027 operating budget, a $5,000 increase from the current allocation and below the $150,000 the organization received three years earlier. "My request for 2027 was 130,000," she said, framing the ask as a modest restoration of capacity after several years of reduced funding.

"Put simply, for every dollar the county invested this year, the businesses assisted resulted in more than $8 in confirmed capital investment to Dickinson County," Natalie said, tallying what she described as measurable early returns since the organization relaunched: support for 11 jobs created or retained and verification of roughly $1.1 million in capital investment. She also said the group has assisted 88 businesses, managed eight incentive-support cases and rebuilt membership to 97 partners.

The presentation emphasized staffing as the largest cost driver — "over 75% of our budget comes from personnel costs" — and said replicating the EDC’s functions in-house would cost the county more than the requested amount. The CEO described new capacity gained this year, including a marketing director, weekly investor updates and a successful application for "e-community" status through Network Kansas, which she said opens low-interest gap financing, technical assistance and small grants for entrepreneurs.

Commissioners asked for details about staffing, insurance line items and the EDC’s evidence of results. The CEO said the organization has supported a mix of new businesses and expansions, is pursuing a strategic planning process (a session was scheduled for June 23) and is working on housing strategies to remove a key barrier to workforce and business growth. On housing, she described a concept for a lower-cost "starter home" (she estimated roughly $180,000 per unit under a bulk-building approach) intended to expand move-in-ready options for workers.

The commission did not act on the EDC request immediately; the presentation served as the formal budget hearing and Q&A during the meeting. The CEO left commissioners with the argument that stable funding would let Driving Dickinson County sustain business retention work and better position the county to capture future investment.