We think we’ve established in our repeated written opinions that we don’t believe in rushing in, like fools, where angels fear to tread across thin economic development ice.
When it comes to spending tax dollars and deals that don’t work on a rational basis or simply benefit the few over the many footing the bill, doing nothing is better than doing something bad, even in this economy. We know. We’ve been there. A few times.
That said, we are a bit puzzled by the reluctance of county officials to join up with the East Central Indiana Regional Planning District as part of the ECI Regional Cities Initiative. The Regional Cities Initiative is a collaborative effort with the intent for individual cities to capitalize economically and deliver a network of culture and amenities that attract and retain talent. The initiative began when Governor Mike Pence, with support from the Indiana Economic Development Corp. signed House Bill 1035 into law on March 24, 2014. Earlier this month, Pence signed Public Law 178 establishing the Indiana regional city fund to provide grants and loans to regional development authority. The IEDC will administer the fund.
Part of the idea is to further dispatch with the concept that political boundaries like countylines and city limits have little to do with how economies operate but, for obvious reasons, they have mattered much to political leaders recruiting employers. Regional areas should have more power and money to benefit more people in attracting employment to an entire region.
“We are told going to these federal grants, if it’s just Grant County applying and you’re competing against Cleveland, you need a larger regional area to be more effective,” County Commissioner Mike Burton said.
Given Grant County’s great asset in having Interstate 69, one of the nation’s major thoroughfares passing through Marion as well as Fort Wayne, alongside Muncie and on through Anderson, Indianapolis and soon to Evansville and beyond, it makes sense to join the ECI Regional Cities Initiative. We already associated with the ECI Regional Planning District which has helped funnel more than $161,000 in Environmental Protection Agency grant money to prepare site in our county for development. ECI. However, Grant County Commissioner John Lawson, who is also the Republican nominee for mayor this fall, has indicated he is interested in aligning with Kokomo district.
Lawson said he is interested in expanding growth in western Grant County as his reason for wanting to make Kokomo the hub for the region we would join.
Kokomo is a great town. It has survived the ups and downs of the auto economy well with both General Motors and Chrysler manufacturing facilities. But it’s economic region district includes the largely rural counties of Miami, Cass, Fulton and Tipton. With all due respect to IU-Kokomo, which is a fine institution, the Kokomo district does not have the strength of post-secondary education that can be found in an alliance of Delaware County and Grant County. Neither do we share Kokomo thoroughfare of U.S. 31 — which is not an interstate.
We are perplexed by a desire to join forces with a community that, like ourselves, serves as home to a lot of retired autoworkers who have purchasing power but don’t seem to be a good fit for Grant County’s longterm future, at least not as much as Ball State University and an interstate connecting manufacturers that include General Motors — but also the strength of a mix that includes Vera Bradley and Nestle all within an hour of Marion.
Gas City Mayor Larry Leach said his work with East Central Indiana Planning District has been beneficial to his community.
“If we were contemplating changing I would be opposed to that,” Leach said. “... We don’t have any experience with anyone west of us. I-69 is the corridor and is getting bigger and bigger all of the time. My logic says let’s stay here and develop this area.”