The economic development office shared by the City of Marysville and Union County could soon see an expansion.
City officials told the Marysville Finance Committee Monday night about plans to help fund the new position.
In 2018, Union County Economic Development Director Eric Phillips spoke to city council about his desire for a new position within his office. Finance Director Justin Nahvi said it was held out of the 2019 budget since the county was unsure if it would fund it.
Nahvi said the city will allocate $50,000 for the position, the county will give another $50,000 and the Chamber of Commerce will allocate $20,000 for a total of $120,000.
City Manager Terry Emery said the new position would let Phillips’ office focus on Marysville more, since Phillips wouldn’t be spread as thin as he is now.
“He has his hat involved in so many different things right now,” Emery said. “He’s spread so thin that sometimes we get a little concerned for his ability to be able to focus more specifically on all the things that are going on in Marysville.”
Emery said city officials also find it hard to follow up with local businesses to see how they are doing and if they need help.
“We’d just like to be more proactive,” Emery said.
In his June presentation to council, Phillips said he and Development Services Manager Jason Stanford are stretched between several responsibilities they can’t always carry out. For example, Phillips said he tries to visit 20 companies per year to discuss expansion.
“We don’t always get to 20, but our goal is to meet 20 companies,” he said. “We really need to do better at that retention/expansion program.”
Phillips said about 80 percent of his office’s time is spent on Marysville projects. City Manager Terry Emery added if a project isn’t in Marysville, it’s likely in areas for which the city provides utilities.
The Marysville Entrepreneurial Center manager and intern positions would remain the same.
Phillips said compared to Dublin’s five and Delaware County’s nine people devoted to economic development, Union County is lagging behind.
At Monday’s meeting, Emery said this is a good time to expand the Economic Development office.
Emery said he believes the city sees a lot of benefits from sharing the costs of economic development with the county. That said, he noted some officials have voiced concerns there isn’t enough of a focus on Marysville.
“I think this position will include that,” Emery said.
Committee member Nevin Taylor supported putting up money for the position. He said the city alone wouldn’t be able to hire an economic development position that cheaply on its own.
Committee member Mark Reams asked Emery what the new position’s responsibilities would be. Emery said the position would be called Development Project Coordinator. Responsibilities would include being a local government liaison, site and building management, retention and expansion programs and involvement in the U.S. 33 Smart Mobility Corridor.
Stanford would continue to focus on downtown revitalization and workforce development.
“We’ve got (Phillips) all over the place,” Emery said.