Townships oppose countywide EDA proposal

The township governments have spoken.

At the Monday night meeting (Sept. 28) of the McLeod County Township Association, representatives from all 14 of McLeod County’s township boards voiced dissatisfaction with a proposed countywide economic development authority.

Miles Seppelt, who serves as Hutchinson’s EDA director, served on a 15-member exploratory committee recommending the County Board establish an EDA to attract new businesses and retain existing ones. Following his presentation, he took questions collected from meeting attendees.

Committee member Donald R. Albrecht, who is secretary for the McLeod County Township Association, made a motion citing concerns over the EDA including —
• the proposed EDA board structure,
• the proposed funding mechanism,
• the inability for townships to opt out of the EDA,
• the ability for cities to opt out and,
• potential difficulties in dissolving the EDA once it’s formed
— as reasons for the Township Association to not support the current proposal. The motion, seconded by Hale Township’s Ron Mickolichek, passed without opposition.

However, the motion notes the Township Association “will work with the County Board to review the possibility of a countywide EDA.”

See the Leader’s Oct. 1 print edition for more on this story.

(Jorge Sosa is a staff writer for the Hutchinson Leader. He can be reached at sosa@hutchinsonleader.com)