CANNELTON – Recoupling a partnership between the City of Cannelton and the Perry County Development Corp. is in discussion but is far from a done deal. While such a move is being spearheaded by Mayor Mary Snyder, members of the city council have expressed strident hesitation at joining the economic group.

According to a statement on PCDC’s website, the aim of the company is to “provide leadership, advocacy, marketing and community planning and development to raise the per capita income of Perry County residents, retain and expand existing firms and attract new businesses.” Such services are also extended to local communities that choose to partner, with Tell City and Troy contracting PCDC.

Cannelton and PCDC have a checkered past, with a 12-year separation before a short-lived eight-month reunion in 2008-09. At that time, according to the May 15, 2008 edition of the Perry County News, several residents were outspoken against the partnership, despite then-Mayor Smokey Graves assessment that “we lost 12 years of opportunity” without the agency’s help and “just have not stepped forward from that day” toward acquiring new businesses. That contract was soon terminated, yet not without discussions over the years about renewing.

Fast-forward nearly a decade, and many of the reservations expressed in 2008 are resurfacing.

A major holdup in the current negotiations – as it previously was – is that hiring PCDC comes with annual payments equivalent to 20 percent of the city’s intake of economic-development income-tax funds. With an expected EDIT fund for 2018 of $132,000, PCDC’s share would be about $27,000. That’s a sizable investment, some members voiced, without any guarantees that the money spent would net a better economy.

“I think we ought to forget it,” remarked council president Jack Harris. “Anything that would help Cannelton business, I’d be for … but I don’t think there’s anything they could bring in.”

Councilman Melvin McBrayer, who also served as the city’s mayor under the first incarnation of the partnership, is also slow to favor the shift. He said PCDC executives, years ago, showed few favorable outlooks for Cannelton. “The tone back then was that the city didn’t have the resources,” he recalled.

Denoting her “mixed feelings” on the idea of hiring PCDC, councilwoman Lynn Fulkerson – who was a sitting member of the council in 2008 – also pointed out that no one on the board has expertise in economic development, and therefore the agency could be a good source on that front. “I know we didn’t see a lot in the past, but did we give them enough time? Did we pull out too soon?” she questioned.

Similarly, while Snyder has reservations on a deal, she believes it’s the city’s best path forward.

There’s no timetable for how developments may play out nor established goals, something members said they’d like to know before earmarking a sum of money that could be better spent elsewhere. “They won’t come in and tell you ‘we’re going to do this and this,’ within the next year. Economic development doesn’t work like that,” the mayor said.

She went on to say that despite the city not working directly with PCDC, the company is currently marketing the former SentrySafe manufacturing site. However, Snyder also questioned how many opportunities have been missed by not joining forces with PCDC. She specifically cited recent projects in Troy, that she surmised could have potentially come to Cannelton had the city been a partner with PCDC.

While Fulkerson hopes to meet with PCDC executives, fellow councilman Vince Gagliardi feels the venture would induce a “terrible waste of our limited city funds.”

“That’s a lot of money to put up without any expectation of getting anything back,” he continued.

Snyder reiterated a direct need for help on the front.

“I personally, I do not know how to go out and market economic development. I don’t have the expertise … I don’t have that background,” Snyder pleaded. “I will go out and do what I can … but I don’t know those people out there in the economic development world.”

“Without someone including us in their meetings that they have with people and showing them our property …” she began before identifying a variety of places that could be used for business growth, the mayor went on to say that Cannelton has already missed out on numerous ventures.

Leaning toward what would need to be a long-term endeavor, Snyder went on to tell the council that should they decide to enter a contract, it would need to stay in place for several years in order for deals to materialize.

The council tabled a decision as they could meet with PCDC leaders in the near future.
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