Orange County Judge Brint Carlton spoke during the citizens comments part of the Orange City Council meeting Tuesday to update the council on the status of the Orange County Economic Development Corporation.
The council voted last year to stop supporting the county Economic Development Corporation by $25,000 a year. Orange is the only city in the county with its own, economic development corporation.
Carlton said Pinehurst, West Orange and Pinehurst are now supporting the Orange County Economic Development Corporation. He said the county economic development corporation had $15,000 in reserves to operate for the year and is now advertising for a new director. The old phone number to the county corporation now goes to the county judge’s office. The county is paying a regional economic development group $1,000 a man to keep up at this time.
He said the county hopes to get an executive director for the Orange County Development Corporation by March. The new executive director will need to come up with a detailed, countywide plan by June. Also, the new director will make regular reports on work and progress.
Plans are to get an advisory board to work with the Orange County Economic Development Corporation’s board of directors. Carlton said the advisory board could have representatives from school districts and chambers of commerce to help in the search for new businesses.
He said in the past the county economic development corporation focused on large petro-chemical projects rather than smaller businesses that may have gone under the radar.
Carlton said the county wants “a new and improved economic development” format.
No comments were made by members of the Orange City Council or the city manager or the director of the city economic development corporation. The subject Carlton spoke about was not on the regular, posted agenda.
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