Newspaper Page Text
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 12, 2013
BARROW JOURNAL
PAGE 3A
His county’s economic
development council —
like Gwinnett’s — also is
a public-private partnership,
but isn’t branded separate
ly from the chamber like
Partnership Gwinnett.
Evans' economic develop
ment plan shows that most
of the local governments
in Hall County contribute
annually to the EDC.
Both the city of
Gainesville and the county
government contribute well
over $100,000 annually. A
local foundation manages
the private-sector contribu
tions for economic develop
ment.
Masino said Gwinnett
County’s government pro
vides about $500,000 each
year for economic devel
opment, the school sys
tem $150,000, and most
of the cities from $80,000-
$100,000. Companies and
five community improve
ment districts also add to
the pot.
JACKSON COUNTY
MOVES
The meeting’s third speak
er was Scott Martin, who
works for Jackson EMC and
serves on Jackson County’s
Industrial Development
Authority. He recently
was elected vice chairman
of the executive commit
tee of Barrow's Economic
Development Council.
In his presentation, Martin
said Jackson County’s
efforts were complicated
for years by the competi
tion among the many local
governments and school sys
tems in the county.
He said the scenario that
has worked best in Jackson
has been for economic
development to go through
the chamber.
"Part of the reason why
I feel it is the best way is
the chamber — although in
the last year or two it hasn’t
been that way — has always
been very non political,”
Martin said.
"Economic development
is not about politics. It's
about putting bicycles under
good people’s Christmas
trees, about giving some
one in your community the
opportunity to earn more
money than what they are
making now, about giving
some business owner in your
community the opportunity
to sell more of whatever they
make or distribute. If it’s not
about that, why in the world
would you do it?”
He added: “It’s about peo
ple getting opportunities.”
On the other hand, the
governmental entities also
should provide funding and
should be part of the eco
nomic development effort
and help influence it.
"We have our chamber,
and they are our point of
contact,” Martin said, “but
they are not the decision
maker in terms of what we
decide we are going to do
for an industry. They are an
aggregator of the team that
makes the decision.”
The team was creat
ed a few years ago in as
Jackson's economic devel
opment council.
“We have more manufac
turing jobs than the state
wide average,” he said. “We
are a manufacturing com
munity. We’ve been blessed.
But everybody wants a piece
Quilt raffle
to benefit
Statham Library
The Friends of Statham
Library are raffling off a
“Summer Fun” quilt that is cur
rently on display at the library.
Tickets are available at
Statham City Hall and the
Statham Library and cost $1
each or six for $5. Proceeds
will go toward improving the
library.
The drawing will be held at
the Statham Sunflower Festival
on Sept. 21.
Barrow’s only
award-winning paper
770.867.6397
Economic continued from 2A
of that. And this community
on this side of the county
says they keep getting more
over there; somebody must
not be promoting our area.
We had some nasty fights
over this.”
The only way to resolve
the conflict was to create the
EDC where everyone is rep
resented. It meets monthly
to talk about every project.
"We recognize that confi
dentiality is important, but
this is the only way we can
do it,” Martin said. “We sit
there and discuss it....”
All funding for eco
nomic development activi
ties is funneled through
the Alliance for Economic
Development.
Because of the county’s
history of political turmoil,
the alliance initiated some
marketing events to turn
around that negative percep
tion.
“We set out on a really
different marketing plan,” he
said. "It's really hard to mar
ket something when you’ve
only got a few sites to mar
ket. But we had to create a
stir that said we’ve changed,
we’re together, we’re differ
ent. We had four bus tours
a year... and showed them
our sites.”
After awhile, perceptions
of Jackson County changed,
and a different reality soon
followed.
“We started growing and
all of a sudden several peo
ple out there said maybe I
ought to go buy 500 acres in
Jackson County and put my
industrial development up.”
The local economic devel
opment effort also focused
on marketing the county
statewide.
“That’s why we've got
12 industrial parks now,”
Martin said, explaining that
the new perception became,
“They've got it together,
they’ve got land, they’ve got
water and sewer, they’ve got
a great workforce, and we’re
going to invest there.”
However, the reces
sion that started about five
years ago also took a toll on
Jackson County’s building
industry. So the county is
continuing to pursue addi
tional employers that will
bring with them new jobs.
Martin said there are three
keys for a community like
Barrow to start attracting
more economic develop
ment.
“One, you’ve got to have
product, something to show
people, to market to peo
ple...,” he said. Two, you’ve
got to have teamwork from
all stakeholders. Three,
communication. You've got
to find a way to continue that
line of communication on
a regular basis. Otherwise,
you start getting splinters
and it breaks down.”
MODELS OF SUCCESS
Following the presen
tations, the president of
Barrow’s chamber of com
merce asked a few ques
tions. Among them was
whether their development
authorities have the power
to tax.
All three speakers said
that while their authorities
do have that power, none
exercises it.
Pat Graham, chairman of
the Barrow County Board
of Commissioners, asked
the speakers if their orga
nizations were performing
fiscal impact analyses for
proposed projects.
Evans said Hall officials
use a fiscal impact model
developed by Georgia Tech
but the outcome of an anal
ysis does not necessarily
drive decisions. He did note
during his presentation that
tax incentives are not con
sidered unless a company
is making at least a $7.5
million capital investment.
And it is the 16 members
of an “investment assistance
committee” that make the
decision.
Masino said Gwinnett
uses the same fiscal impact
model, but a threshold of
$4-5 million before agree
ing to do a bond deal for a
company.
Martin said since a bond
deal through the authority
would reduce a company's
tax obligation, the develop
ment authority as a courtesy
first would get buy-ins from
each affected entity, includ
ing the elected school board.
"We feel we need that
buy-in from those politi
cians, especially since they
are responsible for tax dol
lars and they appoint us to
our positions.”
The main thing, he added,
is that everyone is on the
same page.
Graham said it is impor
tant to hold accountable
companies that promise
investments and new jobs
while seeking incentives
from the local governments.
Evans said Hall County does
use a “performance account
ability agreement” similar to
what is used for tracking
grant spending.
Barrow County manag
er Jock Connell, who was
the county administrator in
Gwinnett during the evolu
tion of Partnership Gwinnett,
said he learned that com
panies are not interested in
coming to a community with
a lot of foolishness.
"Foolishness is the quick
est way to get rid of a pros
pect,” he said.
Said Masino: “That is
where the local media can
be your best friend or your
worst enemy. Everything we
do as a community is out
there online. They can see it.
All they have to know is how
to get to Google.”
Following the discussion,
Connell introduced Guy
Herring, who is Barrow
County’s new director of
economic and community
development.
"I would offer up Guy to
pull together a smaller group
and try to figure out what the
next steps are,” Connell said.
Auburn Mayor Linda
Blechinger said she thinks
the group is needed and said
she would like to participate.
Linda Moore, the vice
president of economic devel
opment for the chamber’s
Economic Development
Council, said she was glad
Herring is back on board. He
was the county’s planning
director until early 2009.
Smarr hired as new
public works director
By Susan Norman
snorman @ barrowjournal. com
The Barrow County Board of
Commissioners on Tuesday night
appointed a female manager from
Gwinnett County as this county’s
new director of public works.
Lynn Smarr worked for Gwinnett
County for 26 years, most recently
as assistant director of the water
resources department, which has
576 employees — more than
the entire workforce of Barrow
County’s government.
Smarr went to work in Gwinnett
County after receiving a bachelor’s
degree in civil engineering from
Louisiana State University. She
also served as the water depart
ment’s construction manager and
supervising engineer.
Her position in Barrow County is
newly created. At a starting salary
of $83,000 she will oversee traf
fic engineering, roads and bridges,
fleet maintenance, water & sewer,
storm water, and the Barrow
County Airport.
Smarr’s appointment comes two
weeks after the appointment of
a director economic and commu
nity development. Guy Herring
now oversees economic develop
ment, planning and zoning, code
enforcement, license and permit,
and geographic information sys
tems personnel.
Herring previously served as
Barrow County’s planning direc
tor, but resigned in early 2009. He
also had worked for the department
two other times and quit.
Bethlehem resident Mark Staley
on Tuesday night raised questions
about both appointments.
He asked why the BOC would
have hired Herring back after he
had resigned three times over the
past decade or so.
"In the private sector, if some
body comes into a position and
takes the position and quits and
comes back years later and takes
the job and quits and then is given
a third chance... That’s three
strikes."
Herring’s new salary is $92,000,
which is about $22,000 more than
he made when he quit four years
ago.
Staley said he was glad that with
Smarr’s appointment the BOC was
“considering someone who has dis
played a long-term commitment to
a government job.
However, he questioned the
recruitment of someone from
Gwinnett County, since new county
manager Jock Connell previously
was Gwinnett’s top administrator.
"No matter how top-notch a
director candidate may be, any time
a high-profile position is given to a
Gwinnett County employee, it will
once again be the perception that
it is all in who you know,” he said.
However, District 1
Commissioner Joe Goodman, who
served on the committee that inter
viewed the finalists for the public
works position, said Staley’s per
ception of favoritism is misplaced.
“This has nothing to do with
Gwinnett County," Goodman said.
In both appointments, the county
needed experienced managers who
could “hit the ground running,” he
said.
Connell told a reporter after the
meeting that even though he and
Smarr both worked for Gwinnett
County during much of the same
period, he had never had a conver
sation with her prior to her apply
ing for the Barrow County position.
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PEOPLE.
POWER.
PROGRESS.
<<, “V
O o
1938^2013
JACKSON EMC
PEOPLE. POWER. PROGRESS.
75 years ago, the people of rural Northeast Georgia came together to bring electricity to their
homes, farms and businesses. On faith, the $5 membership fee they invested created Jackson
Electric Membership Corporation. The power that began flowing through those first lines created
progress, increasing farmers’ productivity, improving the lives of homemakers, and making possible
new industry and jobs. Through the years, much has changed, but Jackson EMC continues to
provide reliable, affordable power, with exceptional customer service, focused on the needs of
those it serves.