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Mayor questions CEDA contract's return on investment; council schedules joint meeting
Summary
Mayor Bryan Wilhelmson questioned whether the city receives sufficient return on the CEDA contract (noting it represents over 11.4% of the budget and averaging ~$30,357/year), while CEDA Manager Laura Qualley said the EDA has secured more than $1.2 million in grants for Spring Grove. Council agreed to a joint meeting March 11 to review performance and invite business owners.
Mayor Bryan Wilhelmson raised concerns at the Feb. 18 Spring Grove City Council meeting about whether the city's annual investment in the CEDA is delivering adequate returns, telling the council that his review of EDA figures averaged about $30,357 per year and that the contract represents "over 11.4% of the city's budget." Council Member Heather Edgington disputed Wilhelmson's calculation and asked for the source of the data.
CEDA Manager Laura Qualley, who joined the meeting by telephone, responded that the EDA has secured "over $1.2 million in grant funding for Spring Grove," and said she was open to revising staff hours, goals and expectations if the city wished to reassess value and performance.
Council Member Trent Turner proposed a joint meeting of Planning & Zoning, the City Council and the EDA to gather more information; the council agreed to hold that meeting on March 11 after the EDA meeting and asked Administrator Jana Elton to invite local business owners. Turner then moved to table further discussion of the 2024 EDA Annual Report until after that March 11 meeting; the motion was seconded by Council Member Morgan Buckland and approved unanimously.
Next steps: The council will review the EDA's performance with Planning & Zoning and invited business owners on March 11; any further changes to the CEDA contract or budget allocation will be considered after that review.
