Brown County RDC debates how to create Economic Development Areas, focuses on Helmsburg and Bean Blossom

The Brown County Redevelopment Commission spent its meeting outlining the statutory process to form Economic Development Areas and debating how the RDC should engage towns and residents. The chair emphasized that the legal steps in the statute—legal descriptions, maps, project lists and declaratory resolutions—cannot be bypassed and must be paired with locally tailored outreach before approaching commissioners and council.

Commissioners split on approach. One group urged a bottom-up, stakeholder-driven plan that would invite community input, produce a one-page vision/mission handout, and use flyers or meetings to publicize RDC services. Another group favored completing the statutory documentation and a broader strategic plan before outreach. "We have to follow the statute," the Chair said, but added that the RDC should also "incorporate a lot of things" members raised about stakeholder engagement. Member B said Helmsburg’s earlier EDA work produced visible changes—demolitions and property improvements—and argued that demonstrating benefits would help other communities consider an EDA. The presenter of draft maps pointed to a hatched area intended for discussion and said, "This map, the orange area is the added area to the Helmsburg CDC area, EDA area."

Members agreed on next steps: produce concise additions to statutory steps to reflect Brown County priorities (a one-page handbook, short and long-term goals), identify top-line stakeholders (commissioners, council districts, precincts), and bring a marked-up map and outreach materials to the next meeting. The commission did not adopt an EDA at this meeting; members agreed to follow up with additional materials and coordinated outreach.