Uncertainty over the best Regional Cities Initiative option for Grant County remains as the county commissioners weigh the possibilities.
That looming decision dominated a significant portion of their meeting Tuesday. Commissioner Mike Burton (R-District 3) informed his colleagues that the East Central Indiana Regional Planning District decided to push back its July 1 deadline for an answer after its executive director Pam Price suffered injuries in a house fire in Delaware County over the weekend. She was transported to Eskinazi Burn Center in Indianapolis for treatment.
The other option for the county commissioners to consider is a group that includes Cass, Felton, Howard, Miami and Tipton Counties.
The Regional Cities Initiative is a collaborative effort with the intent for individual cities to capitalize economically and deliver a network of culture and amenities that attract and retain talent. The initiative began when Governor Mike Pence, with support from the Indiana Economic Development Corp. (IEDC) signed House Bill 1035 into law on March 24, 2014. Earlier this month, Pence signed Public Law 178 establishing the Indiana regional city fund to provide grants and loans to regional development authority. The IEDC will administer the fund.
Burton said he favors the ECI Regional City Initiative. The ECI Planning District consists of Blackford, Delaware, Grant and Jay Counties, but Burton said Madison, Henry and Randolph agreed to be part of the initiative, too.
"My view is this would be best for the county because we have two I-69 intersections in Grant County - Marion and Gas City - where there could be potential involvement," he said
Burton said if Grant County joins, he expects the population for the ECI initiative to be in the 500,000 ballpark, and that membership in a higher-populated initiative will be beneficial when competing against metropolises for federal funding.
Commissioner John Lawson (R-District 1) said he agreed with Burton on some accounts, but he recommended that a representative from Kokomo attend one of their upcoming meetings to share what their initiative offers the county.
"They're very, very interested, and part of their plan does include the city of Marion," Lawson said. "They're very interested in us and our GM plant."
Commissioners Mark Bardsley (R-District 2) and Burton agreed that hearing details of that plan is in the best interest of the county.
"My great concern is we still haven't got a comparison with the Kokomo-Tipton-Peru to the west of us," Bardsley said. "Before we make any major commitment, I think we need to really compare what the initiatives may be suggesting, so we're not just comparing apples and oranges. We're comparing exactly what they say they're going to deliver if we were a part of either one of them."
How the initiatives will benefit any of the counties in the state is uncertain.
"Everyone admits they're not sure how this is going to work out for anybody," Burton said.