Friday, November 10, 2000
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Friday, November 10, 2000 |
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Development Authority wants more money By JOHN THOMPSON Coweta County may soon have another economic development agency in the county. Development Authority Chairman Mike Barber approached the Coweta County Commission Tuesday about possibly funding a paid position for the agency. Currently, the agency is run by volunteers, but Barber said a recent survey in neighboring counties show that they all have paid staff. Barber said the Authority has issued bonds in the past and said he also favored adding a half of a percentage point to any bonds to help fund the Authority. The county currently funds $20,000 to the authority for supplies and clerical help and funded an additional $100,000 for marketing the county. Barber is seeking an undetermined amount of extra funding for full-time staff and brought the matter before the board since the county is currently in the middle of budget discussions. If the county decides to follow Barber's suggestion, the beefed-up Development Authority could be in direct competition with 21st Century Coweta, which is funded by private businesses, along with the city of Newnan. The county and 21st Century Coweta have been at odds in the past year over how the county should be marketed. In 1999, Coweta County hired local architect Buddy Harrison to market its newly-acquired Shenandoah Industrial Park, instead of letting 21st Century Coweta handle the project.
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