(Spirit Lake)—The Dickinson county board of supervisors voted four-to-one this (Tues.) morning to approve a request from the Iowa Great Lakes Industrial Board to transfer $133,000 in economic development funds that have been set aside by the county in the current fiscal year’s budget. The county in the past maintained it’s own fund to assist in various economic development projects.
This (Tues.) morning, representatives of the Iowa Great Lakes Industrial Development Board informed the supervisors that it’s revolving loan fund was nearly depleted due to loans to assist in previous expansions in the past, and two new ones. Kathy Evert, President and CEO of the Iowa Lakes Corridor Development Corporation told the supervisors it was crucial the fund be replenished in order to court any new prospective industries or expansions of existing ones. Evert says the request was nothing new…(click here for comment.)
“We’ve talked about this for atleast three years. Maybe it’s just a, we had to get down to zero, which is where the loan fund is right now, to cause some action to take place. So it’s a good move by the county board and it’s good for all of Dickinson county.”
Supervisors Mardi Allen and Chairman David Gottsche expressed concern over the county making the transfer. Both sited previous concerns they said they had received from the public about such a proposal. Allen said she couldn’t remember exactly what those were, and Gottsche, who cast the lone no vote against the motion to approve the transfer, didn’t elaborate.
The Iowa Great Lakes Industrial Development Board already has a committee and process in place that reviews and acts upon various requests when they come in.
