VW Council hears county ED director

DAVE MOSIER/independent editor

Van Wert City Council heard an update on county economical development activities from Economic Director Sarah Smith during its meeting Monday night that sparked yet more discussion on the disconnect between the city and county ED programs.

Smith talked about the many funding opportunities from state and federal grant and other funding programs, including a $10 billion federal project Smith said could be beneficial to the county.

“I think this is going to be a big deal for Van Wert,” she told Council. “I see it come down the pipeline and I think it’s something that we’re going to be looking into; we’re going to be trying to win some money to leverage some projects.”

Smith told City Council members that the county has currently received $75,000 in grant funding this year ($50,000 in local government funding and $25,000 for a gateway landscaping project). Another $75,000 in formula grant funding is guaranteed, with a decision due for $1.4 million in critical infrastructure and downtown revitalization grant funding September 1. Another $800,000 in possible through the Community Housing Improvement Program (CHIP) grant program.

In addition, another $1 million grant opportunity is coming later this fall, Smith noted, through the Ohio Public Works Commission’s Small Government grant program.

She also stressed the importance to the county of funding opportunities through the CDBG and Ohio Public Works grant programs, in addition to finding new sources of grant funding to leverage future projects.

Smith told Council that Van Wert County has gotten more money through the Community Development Block Grant program than any other county in Ohio, noting that six county villages have been awarded a total of $2.1 million in CDBG funding since 2002.

She attributed that success to the efforts of grant writer Ron Puthoff, a former Fanning/Howey staff member, now retired, that Smith called a “grant-writing genius.”

She added that Puthoff has been working as a consultant with the county on a number of projects, including “teaching me how to do the magic that he does” in the grant-writing arena.

While grant opportunities took up a large portion of Smith’s presentation — since getting grant money is key to funding community projects — Smith also talked about the Van Wert Works website that will be in operation later this year, while also providing information on development site ranking and the need for Van Wert County to partner with neighboring counties and regional entities on economic development.

“It’s really northwest Ohio against the world,” she said, when it comes to attracting new companies and creating jobs, and talked about some partnership opportunities the county is now working on with Mercer County, including a joint project between the Mercer-Van Wert County border villages of Rockford and Willshire.

Furthermore, while there has been wrangling between the county and the Ohio State University Extension economic development program operating in the City of Van Wert, Smith urged City Council to get involved in the process of bringing the city and county economic development efforts back together.

“We are all in this together,” Smith said. “There has to be a way to communicate; there has to be a way for us to move forward.”
Councilman At-Large Jon Tomlinson, a past supporter of the OSU Extension program, chided Smith and OSU development person Cindy Leis for not doing more to communicate with each other. However, as Smith noted after the meeting, communication, at this point, is difficult because of the county’s pending legal questions about the Extension program’s viability in the county. That should change, though, when a legal opinion sought by the county from Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine’s office settles the issue one way or another.

Smith did note that, if that opinion favors the Extension ED program, the county would have to find a way to work with that program.

Councilman At-Large Kirby Kelly requested that the Extension ED representatives also update Council on what the status is on attempts to heal the rift between the county and city ED programs, although Mayor Don Farmer, who is a member of the executive committee providing direction for the Extension ED program, said that shouldn’t happen until there is some progress made in those talks.

Kelly didn’t agree.

“With all due respect, Mr. Mayor, why don’t we (City Council) make the decision why it’s nothing; we’re footing the bill,” he said.

The lack of communication between City Council and the OSU Extension program has been a sore spot for Kelly.

“It still annoys me that we, Council, seem to be out of the loop (on economic development),” Kelly said. “We supply the funding through the hotel-motel tax, but we seem to be the ones who don’t have a clue.”

Kelly has said in the past that he feels City Council needs to be provided with more information in the area of economic development, especially since it funds a majority of its operation.

More meetings will no doubt be held in an attempt to bring the two programs back together.