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Colter, the successful candidate from 70 applicants, officially
assumed the county coordinator position in September 2004.
For the first months in the newly created position Colter was
like a locomotive picking up steam, and there has been little letup
since. In addition to getting to know how the various departments in
the county functioned, he also tackled a number of significant
projects as directed by the board.
One of the first and immediate needs was to seek funding for and
to coordinate the implementation of the new computer system the
county had just selected.
Following that, Colter worked closely with Rob Orr, director of
the Lincoln and Logan County Development Partnership, on the now
famous Robert's Sysco project. "Rob and I put in a lot of hours
during the early stages," Colter said. "For someone who had limited
prior economic development training, you could not have asked for a
better learning experience. You could not have asked for a better
individual to work with, nor could you have asked for a better
outcome. It was one of the better unified team efforts put forth by
all of the entities in local history."
Next was the campaign to get the much-needed public safety tax
passed. He gathered statistics and spoke to groups to help get that
measure passed. Based on current data, the county will receive an
estimated $750,000 of much-needed funds to cover the increased
costs.
In between the above projects, Colter started working with Mayor
Bill Glaze, chairman of the Logan County Regional Planning
Commission, on updating the county's comprehensive plan. "This was
another very satisfying effort," Colter said. "Mayor Glaze and Mayor
Bill Martin did an excellent job of moving the initiative forward.
The county and the participating communities now have a plan that
they can build on. My thanks to those who participated and made it a
success. Teamwork and leadership came through again."
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Another issue he was asked to address was how to clean up junk
properties. His research on how other Illinois counties were
handling this problem led to the development of an administrative
adjudication ordinance. The process can resolve most of the
problem-property issues, as well as some other types of low-priority
legal matters that governments face. It is more expedient and gets
better results. The program can be implemented once funds are
available to start it. It would be financially self-sustaining.
Colter was soon assigned the position of zoning and code enforcement
officer. He was responsible for building permits as well as flood
plain management. He kept the board's planning and zoning committee
updated on a variety of legislative and regulatory issues that do or
could affect the county and property owners. He was also deeply
involved with the Zoning Board of Appeals.
He recently structured a new fee schedule for building permits,
bringing Logan County more in line with other counties. The new
funds will help pay for some of the changes and support that are
needed in the zoning office.
His most recent effort has been working on an upgrade to the
county telephone system, which could save the county an estimated
$12,000 per year while improving the communications capabilities
between the public safety complex and the courthouse.
Colter has also been involved with the county geographic
information system, Logan County Airport grant funding, the
comprehensive economic development strategy and the transition of
the balloon festival to the airport.
"Most challenging has been wearing so many hats, but it has been
rewarding," he said. "I hope the county maintains the momentum that
has developed and takes advantage of every opportunity to grow and
prosper. My thanks to those leaders who have made it possible and
enjoyable. My most sincere thanks to JoAnne (Marlin) for her support
and friendship."
[News release; LDN] |
