County Council, Common Council address confusion amidst negotiations
By HOLLY GASKILL and
JONATHAN SNYDER
Both the Wells County Council and Bluffton Common Council addressed misunderstandings about their financial position with the Wells County Chamber of Commerce and Economic Development during their respective meetings Tuesday evening.
The statements followed an extensive conversation during the County Commissioner meeting on Monday, wherein various elected officials discussed the status of a collective annual contract with the Chamber to support the Economic Development Commission. While county commissioners did not approve the contract, they did approve a motion for Common Council member Scott Mentzer to represent their collective interest in negotiation, intending to conclude negotiation within the next several weeks.
According to County Council President Seth Whicker, the Chamber board subsequently canceled their Wednesday meeting on the basis that there was no longer funding secured for the EDC.
Whicker and Commissioner President Jeff Stringer said this was inaccurate, and the county was financially committed through June 30. This same sentiment was echoed by the Common Council, who approved a motion to pay the Chamber for January through June and for Mentzer to represent all municipal partners.
“I don’t think I’ve talked more about an issue since I’ve been on the council than this one,” noted Mentzer.
However, a financial commitment was not included in the motion passed by the commissioners on Monday.
During the meeting, officials and representation from the Chamber board mutually agreed it was appropriate to pay EDC for their services already provided in 2024, as well as commit to payment through a period until they reached an agreement. This was included in a first motion by Commissioner Mike Vanover.
After discussion continued for nearly 30 minutes regarding the contract, Vanover revised the motion. He then stated, “So maybe the motion is too complex. I’d like to make a motion for Councilman Mentzer to be our representative here and lead the negotiation with the Chamber and interested parties.” It was unanimously approved.
The commissioners proceeded with the next item, and there was no further confirmation that payment would be issued for the first or second quarter of the year.
Whicker explained Tuesday, “It was pretty clear to me, whether a motion was made or not, that there has to be at least some understanding in this community that if you’re working for the county, you’re going to get paid. And so, I just wanted to officially go on the record … if people were working for this county not getting paid, I would resign because that is unfair to those people.”
Wells County had deferred its contract renewal in August after the Chamber announced a change in its bylaws eliminating board seats for elected officials. While Commissioner Blake Gerber has since been reinstated to the board, negotiations have continued regarding a list of key performance indicators.
These debated KPIs have included Economic Development’s responsibility to provide regular reports and financial statements, among other items.
Chamber Board President Patty Randall sent an email Monday morning that the relationship between the parties would cease if the elected boards did not approve the contract at their upcoming meetings. That night, Economic Development Executive Director Chad Kline explained that he could not continue work with businesses without ensuring financial stability of the EDC.
The commissioners ultimately refused to sign the contract due to the recent revisions to the list of KPIs and the ultimatum.
“This is not us against the Chamber,” Stringer said Tuesday. “It is collectively the first time the city, county and Ossian … and we come up collectively with one set of KPIs. The contract’s done — we’re talking about two pages in the contract, and it’s KPIs.”
Also Tuesday, the Board of Public Works and Safety approved Cheryl Morphew as an as-needed economic development consultant. Mentzer previously consulted with Morphew in forming the list of KPIs for Wells County Economic Development. She will be contracted by the city for 10 hours monthly for $150 per hour.
“This is not a hiring of an economic director,” clarified Mentzer. “It’s not a (new) local economic development officer for the city. It’s us getting a resource that, should we need it, we have it.”
The commissioners also considered the same consulting service on Monday, planning to match the contracted hours and payment with Morphew. However, they deferred approval after Gerber said he needed more time to consider the agreement, which he said he had received Friday.
The next regular commissioner meeting is 5 p.m. on Monday, March 18.
holly@news-banner.com,
jonathan@news-banner.com
