Moses Lake gives more funds to EDC
MOSES LAKE - The Grant County Economic Development Council
(GCEDC) will receive an additional $10,000 from Moses Lake.
Councilmembers approved the fund increase on a 6-1 vote at the last
council meeting.
MOSES LAKE - The Grant County Economic Development Council (GCEDC) will receive an additional $10,000 from Moses Lake.
Councilmembers approved the fund increase on a 6-1 vote at the last council meeting.
The economic development organization will receive a total of $40,000 from the city.
Councilman David Curnel stated he believed the city's previous annual contribution of $30,000 was sufficient and reasonable.
He noted that the city needs to think about replacing the police department's firing range.
The economic development council asked for fund increases from Moses Lake and Quincy, said council director Juliann Dodds at the meeting.
The organization asked Quincy to increase its contributions from $6,000 to $15,000, according to Dodds.
Other city fund dues remained the same, she said.
The fund increase from Moses Lake and Quincy was due in part to recent high volume businesses coming to the areas as a result of the organization's business recruitment efforts, explained Dodds.
The organization estimated new businesses in Grant County contributed to $102.6 billion in total wages, according to GCEDC statistics.
The highest average salary according to the statistics was from SGL Automotive Carbon Fibers group, with an average of $74,456 salary. The employer could have 80 employees by the end of the year.
Next was REC Silicon, with the average salary for its 520 employees being $72,454.
The third-highest average salary was $70,492 and given by three employers: Microsoft, Yahoo! and Ask.com.
The 2011 GCEDC operating budget is $338,000 and the group has a $35,000 deficit, stated Dodds.
Mayor Jon Lane noted the elimination of the GCEDC's large summertime fund-raiser, "Party on the Green" may contribute to the group's current financial status.
The most recent project the GCEDC worked on was the trends Web site, which cost around $12,000 to produce, according to Dodds.
The mayor commended the organization's retail efforts.
"I feel like we may be at a critical tipping point right now. We need to focus on drawing good family-wage jobs (here)," said Lane.
Councilman Dick Deane wanted the group to continue their efforts.
"The work this group does is pretty important. They need to continue working on retail recruitment and keep the retail in the community," said Deane.
Councilman Bill Ecret said the group's request for additional funding was justified.
"The increase in jobs and tax revenue (from the businesses) is enough reasoning for the fund increase," Ecret said.
"This is the one organization you never see stop working. They are innovative and work hard," he added.
Councilmembers discussed the group's upcoming retail study project.