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Virginia's Heartland outlines regional economic goals; some supervisors question local return on investment
Summary
Alex McCoy told the Board Virginia's Heartland seeks to build regional identity, support workforce and business retention, and leverage public-private resources; supervisors expressed concern that Amelia has not always received proportionate benefits from regional organizations and asked for clearer local returns.
Alex McCoy presented Virginia's Heartland Regional Economic Development Alliance's priorities: cultivating a regional identity, developing partnerships, leveraging public and private resources, and promoting workforce and business retention and recruitment. McCoy cited tools such as ZoomProspector and a Tobacco Commission grant used with Letter Press Communications and noted Virginia's Heartland is one of 17 officially recognized regional development organizations in the Commonwealth.
Supervisor H. Joseph Easter and others questioned whether Amelia County receives proportional benefit for its investment in regional organizations, noting past concerns about value returned versus contributions. McCoy and board members discussed prior EDA committee actions and the timing of regional grant applications. No formal funding decision was made at the work session; supervisors asked for continued reporting on measurable returns to Amelia.
