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Commissioners approve $406K OEP contract after debate over performance metrics
Summary
The board approved item 13—contracting roughly $406,000 with OEP for economic development—after Commissioner Dillard asked for clearer benchmarks and called for a future work session on economic development metrics; the motion passed 4–1.
Commissioner Dillard (speaker 3) asked the board to pull item 13 from the consent agenda to discuss performance reporting for the county’s agreement with the Office of Economic Partnerships (OEP). Dillard said the board was committing roughly $406,000 and that the OEP performance reports showed zero job creation in a first quarter metric despite the county’s prior approvals of projects that created jobs.
"I think OEP is doing a good job, but we should have a bigger discussion," Dillard said, requesting a work session on economic development to set benchmarks before future commitments. Other commissioners debated whether postponement was necessary; Commissioner Herr and Commissioner Lockhart said a work session would be useful but not necessarily a reason to withhold funding now. Commissioner Constantine moved to approve item 13 and the motion was seconded; the board approved the item 4–1.
Commissioners asked staff to bring more thorough benchmark proposals and to brief the board before additional commitments are made. The board recognized that some metrics are difficult to measure without clear direction on strategic priorities for the county’s economic development work; staff and OEP representatives were asked to return with suggested performance indicators at a future work session.
