The DEDC, Derry Economic Development Corp has announced that it will no longer ask the town for any funding this year. In the towns FY 08 Budget, The acting town administrator had a line item for $60,000 slotted for the funding of the DEDC, however we just learned that the DEDC has decided to NOT request funding because it says after the sale of the very last lot on Ash St- It can become self supporting.
This has been a goal of the DEDC for many years and on that note I would like to congratulate them on their success!
But what now does the town do to make sure it is doing everything possible to bring tax relief in the form of bringing business into town? This is the next big question the town must need to answer.
The DEDC says it would like to remain working with the town in accomplishing its goals of increasing economic development and that is a good sign.
This also takes away some of the negativity that sometimes happens when discussions in town meetings occur and the issues of economic development come up.- Those issues will now be a thing of the past ( I hope ) Time to move-on to bigger issues and real issues.
Also, businesses that are thinking about coming in will not be discouraged when they read newspaper headlines that thrive on conflict ( after all it does sell papers don't you know. ) We can't afford this anymore- We MUST get serious about doing all we can to attract and retain more businesses. Derry is a good place to start a business after all and we must focus on the positive!
So, I look forward to talking with people and other councilors on new ways to bring in more businesses and to help lower property taxes.
What are your thought on the subject- ( for anyone new to this blog site, just hit the comment section and leave us some comments)
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First - I've watched most of two of the budget workshops and the ENTIRE Council deserves praise for a very good job --- many good questions and only a few votes that reflected the normal divide. The time that is dedicated should not go unnoticed and is very appreciated.
The only hiccup was Councilor Coyle "feeling sandbagged" --- without knowing any detail of how, why or even whether it was normal procedure on the signing of a revenue producing contract. Perhaps, though, he's trying to fight his normal instincts because he has not yet called the newspapers for an expected headline.
RE: the DEDC --- we should all take note that the town is currently in the position of effectively being out of the Economic Development business. It also clear that whatever the town does will cost more money and produce less result than the $30 or 60K we were giving.
What really can you expect from $30K --- in real dollar terms a shift supervisor at McDonalds costs about the same.
In that light, the DEDC was a steal.
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