The Marion County Board of Supervisors held a special session Friday for the Quarterly Marion County Development Connect meeting. Dustin Miller, Iowa Chamber Alliance Executive Director, presented different grant and funding options for the VA site and conservation projects.  Miller said the easiest option would be Tax Increment Finance or TIF funding but also suggested developer-driven options including redevelopment tax credits or historic preservation tax credits. Miller presented several grant opportunities as well and suggested a layering approach to try and secure several grants to help with the VA and conservation projects. Marion County Development Commission Executive Director Carla Eysink presented information from a study conducted with prime employers from June through September of 2021. Eysink spoke with KNIA/KRLS News about the presentation.

“One of the big things we found is that our companies are expanding and that’s an exciting thing for the area to see industries expanding, in fact, 60% of our prime companies are expanding. The other thing is that the effects of Covid were not felt in our area as bad as they were in other parts of the United States. Some of our challenges are there is a barrier for growth because of finding right-fit employees, so employee recruitment becomes an important part of strategies for us. The next part is supply chain issues that our employers are still facing and how do we help them with those issues.”

The next Connect meeting will be on June 24