Letter: Support the EDC

It is budget season for local governments once again.  One issue of interest to about everybody is economic development.  People have a right to know what kind of return on investment they get from the Harvey County Economic Development Council, or EDC.  EDC has a three part mission:

1. More jobs

2. Higher payrolls.

3. More private investment in the community.

Over the past five years, local governments have invested just over $1 million in this economic development effort.  What have been the returns?  That investment has been turned into commitments for 1,772 new jobs, more than $38 million in new payroll, and $212 million of private sector industry investment in various locations around Harvey County and its communities.

Together, these three items contribute to build a greater tax base in which more people and businesses can share the tax burden.  These huge returns shown above are the envy of almost every county in Kansas.

— Jim Heinicke, Newton