City buys in to county development corporation
Staff writer
A county economic development corporation getting on its feet got a vote of support from the city of Marion.
Chris Hernandez, Tammy Ensey and Russell Groves, representing Marion County Community Economic Development Corporation, attended Monday’s meeting to ask for financial support for a development corporation created after a county-sponsored committee spent months reviewing options for economic development.
Council member Chris Costello said he wants the city to have something to show for the money invested.
“If we don’t have something to show for it after five years, defund us,” Hernandez said.
The city council voted to provide $7,500 this year for the corporation and $44,500 in the next five budget cycles, with that amount to be reviewed on an annual basis.
The money will come out of the economic development budget’s industrial development funds, city administrator Roger Holter said.
Hernandez said the committee hopes to have an executive director hired for the corporation by sometime in August.
The council also supported Marion County Emergency Medical Services by agreeing to surrender their rights to two lots immediately behind the Auto House building on US-56. The county plans to purchase the property for a Marion ambulance station. When the city sold property to Auto House, Inc., the contract had a provision giving the city first rights to the two lots if Auto House owners sold the building.
A strip of former railroad property south of the public library with ownership long misunderstood will be sold to Mike Loomis and Pat Carr. Both owners of adjacent property, they thought the land already belonged to them until it became known several months ago that it is the city’s. The city earlier offered to sell each the portion they wanted for the cost of surveying it, but Loomis was not able to come up with a lump-sum payment. Council members agreed Monday to a contract selling Loomis a portion of the land with payments to be made over time.
Public works director Marty Fredrickson said he inspected a house and lot at 711 Weldon after neighbors complained about the condition of property. He found the house’s door would not lock and the lot filled with fallen wood, grass unmowed, and overgrown with tree saplings. The property did not appear to be in unsafe condition, though.
Council members decided to send a letter giving the property owner 30 days to install locks and clean up the lot.
The city will recruit a new electric supervisor in the wake of Christian Pedersen’s departure. Pedersen’s final day will be Friday.
In other matters, council members;
- Approved a change order and two payment requests for work on the Main St.;
- Heard department and staff meeting reports; and
- Held executive sessions to discuss non-elected personnel.