Tuesday, February 14, 2012
 
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County board committee chairs to recommend endorsing Logan County Master Plan

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[February 14, 2012]  When committee chairmen of the Logan County Board met on Monday evening, there was considerable discussion on whether the county should endorse the economic development master plan created through the Lincoln & Logan County Development Partnership.

The county board's executive and economic development committee is made up of the chairmen of various county committees. Their work in this committee helps create a cohesive and comprehensive overview of county business.

The committee is chaired by David Hepler, who is also planning and zoning chair. Other members include Robert Farmer, board chairman; Terry Carlton, road and bridge chair; Rick Aylesworth, law enforcement chair; Bill Martin, building and grounds chair; Gene Rohlfs, airport chair; and Chuck Ruben, finance chair.

Guests included Mike Maniscalco, executive director for the Lincoln & Logan County Development Partnership; county board member Jan Schumacher; and Jim Drew of the Logan County Farm Bureau.

Drew had come to clarify the Farm Bureaus position on the master plan and to encourage the county to endorse it.

The Farm Bureau board unanimously confirmed endorsement of the plan. Drew said he had gone over it thoroughly and saw the need for some minor revisions. It was his opinion that it has recommendations, but that there's nothing in there that's concrete, and it contained nothing negative.

"I think it is an opportunity for the county to work as a unit. I think we need to appear that way if businesses look into the community," Drew said.

The board initially had several concerns when the plan was presented, but at present seemingly only two points remain an issue:

  1. Language in it identifies potential county tax revenues, primarily from wind energy or other business property tax relief programs like enterprise zone, as sources to fund future master plan processes.

  2. Committing to this plan would obligate future board members. Ten months remain of current board member's positions.

Ruben's concern is that the way the plan reads now, it looks like the county would provide county taxes to hire consultants to further the plan.

Misc

Addressing current conditions, Ruben recalled that the county made 15 percent cuts to its department budgets this year. He wanted to avoid perception that voting for the plan says "we're in favor of providing that money. And, I want it made clear that we're not," he said.

In voting to endorse the master plan, Ruben felt that there needs to be clarity about the potential spending of any county funds.

"There's no way I'm going to give them any money," he said, and he didn't want it to look that way.

So, he felt that even though it is already board policy, he would like to add to the motion to approve the master plan, that it would require a two-thirds vote of the full board to expend any county funds.

He, Rohlfs and other committee members did not want to create the perception to the public or to future board members that there is any obligation of county funds now or in the future by endorsing the plan.

Rohlfs anticipated that the county would be expected and pressured to support the things mapped out in the master plan. He recalled that one of the points made to him in December 2010 was that the implementation of this plan would be way too expensive for any single entity of government to support. He pointed out that the plan targets county funds and the county board.

He questioned: "Is going to be asked at every turn, and by all 18 committees, by all 10 consultants that they plan on hiring; we're going to be asked, and asked and asked?" He commented that this would not reflect well on the board if this began happening and the board was constantly saying no to requests.

Further in the discussion, Rohlfs agreed with Maniscalco that in a recession is not the time to sit back and do nothing -- that it is important to plan for economic development.

"By the same token, that's the time to watch your nickels," Rohlfs said. He reiterated that he is not comfortable with this plan. "There are going to be pressures down the road that will come from that."

Aylesworth asked Maniscalco for his take on how the initiatives in the plan would be implemented.

Maniscalco said his plans differed from his predecessor's, who had targeted and planned on using wind energy tax revenue for support. He said there are already a lot of things going on in our county, such as at the news conference last week, Mayor Keith Snyder said the city of Lincoln has already been working on numerous different things that are in the plan. A lot of this is just happening naturally.

"There are opportunities within the plan for partnering," Maniscalco said. "My thought is to make the things within the plan happen collaboratively, and not rely on a certain stream of revenue."

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Schumacher agreed that the county has had a reduction of revenues, which is why there were cuts to departments.

She offered: "The other side of the equation is to create more revenue. It's [with] a plan like this, that the hope and the intent is that it will bring, obviously by name, ‘economic development,' to the county; it will bring more jobs, more revenue."

She added: "I don't think the partnership will disregard the board's concerns. I think they're realists."

Martin said he also shared the same concerns about the language. He felt that it should not be a barrier and suggested: "When it comes time for the language modification process, we need to see that it gets changed."

Regarding the amendments, Maniscalco explained that it is part of the plan to amend it as it is worked. But he said we need to have the opportunity to get enough work done before we can make the changes. He thought six months may be too short; more like a year is needed.

Carlton looked on the plan as one that could be modified as it goes. Chuckling, he said that meant it would happen slowly, as that is the way government works.

He sees the master plan as a great opportunity to work together with other entities on the future of Logan County.

"We are the leaders of Logan County," Carlton said. "We may not agree on 100 percent of the plan. We need to lead. We need to just go forward."

Carlton motioned to approve the economic development plan with the understanding that any further funding by the county would be by the county's standard rules on over-budget spending. It was seconded and approved by straw vote when many "ayes" chimed together, and only one "nay" was heard.

Hepler also suggested, and it was agreed by the committee, that should the full board pass the endorsement, a letter would be sent to the development partnership clarifying the county board's policy on how it can spend funds.

The matter will be brought before the full board on Thursday evening for discussion during the board of whole, with a likely vote at its adjourned session on Feb. 21. Both meetings take place in the ground-floor courtroom of the Logan County Courthouse.

[By JAN YOUNGQUIST]

Logan County Economic Development Master Plan (PDF)

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