The county board of supervisors has arrived at a critical juncture.
Decisions in the next couple of weeks by our five county lawmakers could lead to significant improvements in job growth, as well as health care and education outcomes here.
By the same token, their decisions could devastate efforts to grow our county for decades to come.
At issue are proposals related to industrial site development and broadband high-speed internet.
Sunflower County Economic Development Director Steve Rosenthal has requested that the board create an industrial site development program that will be funded by a portion of the property taxes from green energy projects like solar and wind farms.
Also, District 5 Supervisor Gloria Dickerson proposed this past Monday for the county to hire a firm to help challenge a federal map that seems to suggest large pockets of Sunflower County are adequately served with high-speed internet.
Rosenthal and Dickerson both left the six-hour marathon meeting this past Monday empty-handed.
Both were visibly frustrated.
And they should be.
For all of the talk that goes on at our local board meetings about the need for jobs and economic development, there has not been a lot of meaningful action over the past several years.
Sunflower County currently has little to zero acres of land to develop and market to outside or expanding companies.
It is unconscionable that the county has gone as long as it has without a significant investment in land for the purposes of industrial development.
It would be equally appalling if the county’s leadership allowed the prospect of countywide broadband internet expansion to slip through its fingers because of petty politics.
Rosenthal on Monday laid out a clear vision for industrial development over the next half decade.
Based on tax revenue projections, green energy projects should adequately fund the eventual purchase of 100 acres on the south end of the county and 50 acres on the north end of the county to develop two industrial parks.
Once the land is acquired, that revenue, along with grants, may be used to fully develop those parks to market to new or existing businesses.
Businesses, as opposed to green energy projects, create higher volumes of jobs, which means more payroll taxes, more homeownership, better schools and overall better prosperity.
Businesses these days, however, generally require strong internet connections to run their operations 24/7.
That is why Rosenthal’s industrial site development proposal and Dickerson’s broadband initiative should never be at odds. One should never be used as a bargaining chip against the other.
The ideas of industrial site development and broadband expansion should be inherently intertwined.
How foolish would the county be to develop sites without a clear and articulate plan for broadband expansion?
It would be equally foolish to facilitate a countywide broadband expansion with no industrial sites to service.
Dickerson brought a company to the board this week that stands ready to help challenge the absurd notion that the county is adequately served with high-speed internet.
District 1 Supervisor Glenn Donald said that this would be duplicative work, given that South Delta Planning & Development District is doing something similar through its Medicaid waiver.
After speaking with SDPDD, we believe the work is not duplicative and there is room for a third-party to come in and aid the county with its challenge.
We hope that the board will come to its senses over the weekend and recognize the unique moment and opportunity we have before us.
There is room for compromise for Rosenthal and Dickerson, but there is no room for ignoring the need for industrial site development and broadband expansion here.
