By Howard Packowitz
BLOOMINGTON – The organization heading up local economic development efforts is again having to defend itself against criticism that taxpayers aren’t getting their money’s worth.
Bloomington Mayor Tari Renner is questioning whether the city should continue providing a $100,000 annual subsidy for the Bloomington-Normal Economic Development Council.
“What do we get? What are the metrics that we get from the EDC for our $100,000?”
“We do need more answers and hard information,” the mayor said.
“I think the entire (city) council would agree on that, and I think the Town of Normal would agree on that,” Renner also said.
Normal pays the same amount, and the town council expressed similar concerns last year.
Council members from both communities serve on the EDC board, and the two city managers are “ex-officio” board members.
Zach Dietmeier, EDC’s Vice President in charge of marketing and communications, said the organization is hiding nothing.
“We never, ever want anyone to think that we are hiding something, or not sharing information with, especially some of our largest investors at the EDC,” said Dietmeier.
“We’re happy to have those conversations, but at some point, there is only as much information as we can share.”
Dietmeier said the subsidies are a “direct investment” in the community’s future. He said the EDC’s work was critical to Rivian Automotive’s decision to build electric vehicles in the Twin-Cities.
“They said without the work that the EDC put in, they would not be in their Normal facility. I think that highlights in and of itself just how critical the work that we can and do here at the EDC,” Dietmeier added.
Mayor Renner acknowledged the EDC has been in a transition period in which it’s been led by an interim CEO since last May.
Renner added EDC provides an essential service, organizing the One Voice effort to lobby in Washington for federal dollars on a variety of local projects. Renner will be part of the One Voice delegation traveling to the nation’s capitol early next month.
Howard Packowitz can be reached at [email protected]
