New Carlisle land development. Tribune file photo/SANTIAGO FLORES
St. Joseph County plans to pay two firms a combined $120,000 for work largely focused on helping county officials push the Indiana Enterprise Center, a controversial industrial park being developed on thousands of acres of farmland near New Carlisle.
In separate votes of 3-2 and 3-1, the county Redevelopment Commission on Tuesday approved a $55,000 contract with Insight Strategic Concepts, an Elkhart-based “strategic growth” firm, and a $66,000 deal with Big Idea Co., a Mishawaka public relations shop.
The split votes came after two members of the commission, Jason Critchlow and Tom Gryp, said it was unclear what the firms were being paid for and questioned whether the county needed to pay outside consultants to communicate about economic development work.
“Isn’t that what your job is supposed to be,” Gryp said to Bill Schalliol, the county’s director of economic development. “Going to the city and the council and the people in New Carlisle and communicating to them? Why do we need a third party at 55 grand to do it?”
Schalliol said outsourcing the work would be an efficient way to help the county’s small economic development staff.
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