Private negotiations turn to public arguments after ultimatum
By HOLLY GASKILL
A contract between the Wells County Chamber of Commerce and Economic Development and local governing bodies remains in limbo after an extensive debate between the parties.
Wells County had refrained from renewing its contract last August after the Chamber announced it would be changing its bylaws, removing the board seats reserved for county elected officials. The negotiation has since grown to include a series of debated key performance indicators detailed in the prospective contract.
Chamber Board President Patty Randall submitted a revised contract Monday morning with an ultimatum attached — if not approved that evening, the partnership would cease. Due to the nature of the late changes, the County Commissioners refused to sign the document during their meeting that night.
“And I’ll be damned if I’m held hostage,” said Commissioner President Jeff Stringer. “And that’s exactly where I feel I am now.”
The meeting held considerable debate between local officials and members of the Chamber’s board.
While all parties desired to reach a consensus and were “so close” to one, the commissioners passed a motion only to have Bluffton Common Council member Scott Mentzer negotiate on their behalf. There were also multiple concluding statements that Economic Development should not be housed under the Chamber of Commerce.
A copy of the KPIs provided to The News-Banner included a series of revisions, received by the county Friday, regarding if or how often local governing bodies should receive updates regarding Economic Development activity. This version deleted requirements to provide Economic Development’s financial reports or include officials in specific meetings. It also revised expectations of a monthly status report to a quarterly report and who would receive a monthly business attraction report.
The county pays $100,000 annually to support Economic Development through the Chamber. According to Stringer, the city of Bluffton also pays $68,424.30 annually, Ossian $13,340.90, Markle $5,135.30, Zanesville $777, Poneto $700.90, Uniondale $519.90 and Vera Cruz $207.80.
Instead of an annual contract, Stringer advised the county has been paying as needed while negotiation continued.
“We’re not going to dictate everything you do, but we pay the bill (and) we need to be at the table,” Stringer said.
Josh Barkley, Ossian Town Council member, later echoed this. “Anything that’s tied to taxpayer money should be tied to an elected official,” he added.
Many officials also took issue with the sudden deadline declaration, given how many months the negotiation has already taken.
“I feel like we’re so close to the finish line that it feels crazy to draw a line in the sand now,” said Mayor John Whicker.
Chad Kline, Economic Development executive director, recognized this thought but advised he could not continue activities in good faith, not knowing if Economic Development would have funding secured.
Subsequently, Chamber Board Member John Stauffer asked if the county could consider a fee-for-service agreement for several months, saying the current negotiation was like a “gun pointed at our head.” He continued, “There isn’t the lack of interest in resolving it, but we have a fiduciary responsibility to (Economic Development), and to the Chamber, and all of the folks that we represent.”
Commissioner Mike Vanover motioned to this extent, saying the county would financially commit through June with the intent to resolve negotiations in the coming weeks, and with Mentzer leading those negotiations.
Representing the board, Chamber Board Vice President Julie Thompson said she could not speak on the board’s behalf and would bring the proposal to them.
At this statement, open arguments between board members and officials boiled over. Chamber Board Past President Sam Haifich questioned why the officials couldn’t commit and continue the revision process regardless, saying that the agreement should be considered a “living document.” Stringer proceeded to question why Economic Development insisted on operating in such secrecy.
Kline, who had largely remained in the background of the conversation, was visibly stressed and frustrated with the matter.
“At what point in time do we say ‘Enough is enough?’ And just say, ‘We’re not going to reach an agreement?’” Kline asked. “We got this document two weeks ago. We thought we were going to have an agreement in December, and here we are in March, and we’ve been tabling, tabling, tabling, tabling (a decision).”
“On both sides,” Vanover said.
“Right? But we’re the ones getting all the blame here, and that’s not appropriate,” Kline added.
“I don’t agree with that,” Stringer countered.
“You can not agree all you want, but that is not appropriate for all the blame to be on the Chamber,” Kline said.
Stringer continued to say officials have received a number of phone calls with accusations about their intentions or character. Several others present had also alluded to ongoing gossip and arguing between the parties.
“We need to quit the brawling,” Thompson said. “The negotiators have to hear each other. And not everybody is going to get, I’m going to say, their way, because that’s the only word that’s coming to mind right now. But we’re all here for one thing, and it’s Wells County. And quite honestly, I want this all over with.”
Vanover then revised the motion, and he, Stringer and Commissioner Blake Gerber voted in favor of continuing negotiation with Mentzer as the primary representative and the intention to resolve the matter by their next meeting, 5 p.m. March 18.
Directly following this decision, the commissioners discussed a joint contract with the city of Bluffton for continued Economic Development consultation from Cheryl Morphew of Johnson County. Morphew also played a key role in compiling the KPIs under discussion.
Mentzer said he had written a list of KPIs in October and, hearing nothing from the Chamber, sought Morphew’s help. He then tied in the county and later town officials with the effort. Previously, each governing body would approve its own contract with the Chamber.
Mentzer proposed the consultation from Morphew could be beneficial in helping the city and county understand more about economic development. “And we think it’s a tool to assist (Kline), not to take over for (Kline),” Stringer added.
Gerber interjected that he didn’t feel comfortable deciding at this time, since he had only received the proposal Friday evening. Mentzer said the same matter will appear before the Board of Works at 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday, March 5.
Multiple attendees then left in apparent frustration, continuing murmured conversations in the hallway outside of the meeting room in the Carnegie Annex.
County Council member Brandon Harnish likened the situation to issues with authority and advisory boards at the Wells County Health Department. “It’s designed to fail,” he said. “It’s designed for a communication breakdown.”
This mirrored an earlier sentiment from Stringer, who stated he believed Economic Development should be separate from the Chamber.
“I’ve seen people walk out frustrated, and there’s some anger,” Stringer said. “This is what it’s about. This is what government is supposed to do. You’re supposed to have an open forum. You’re supposed to disagree.”
Following the meeting, the commissioners advised they did not know whether or not the Chamber would accept the temporary solution or continue in severing ties.
holly@news-banner.com
