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Get on with it

On Monday, Marion County Commissioners decided to wait yet another week before making a decision regarding a county economic development position.

Those in attendance at the meeting left frustrated and confused.

All seemed to agree, including the majority of the commission, the county needs to proceed with an economic development position. And all seemed to agree, including the majority of the commission, specific details need to be determined.

So, why wasn't a decision made to earmark county funds for the developer position?

The commission decided more information must be gathered. Now a mayors' meeting with the commission will be held Thursday to discuss the issue again.

As a mere observer, here are a few suggestions:

1) Contact Harvey County. Get a copy of their bylaws or guidelines.

2) Talk with members of different types of economic development organizations. Find out what works and what doesn't.

3) Talk to the Kansas Department of Commerce representative for Marion County. He should know what works and what doesn't.

4) Be realistic with expectations. Don't expect too much too soon.

5) The budget needs to be sufficient for a full-time position with a competitive salary, office space for meeting with business professionals, and office equipment such as a computer and Internet access. Funds need to be available for training, meetings, and other opportunities to get the Marion County name circulating.

If no one on the county commission wants to step up to do these tasks, appoint a county employee to do them. Just do something besides talk about it.

As a governing body, it is difficult to determine what the next step might be. Inaction definitely is not the answer.

We're all on the right track here. Let's put this positive energy into motion and get something accomplished.

— SUSAN BERG

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