The McLeod County Board is continuing to lay the groundwork for a possible countywide economic development authority.

Tuesday (Jan. 6), the board met for a workshop discussing the makeup of an exploration committee that will evaluate if and how a countywide EDA should be established.

Speaking after the workshop, Board Chair Kermit Terlinden said the board is seeking to add more rural representation to its working list of exploration committee nominees.

For an EDA to fly in McLeod County, Terlinden believes the funding mechanism shouldn’t include taxing agricultural land.

Commissioners Ray Bayerl and Paul Wright are also considering joining the fact-finding group. Terlinden said the group’s roster will likely be finalized at the Jan. 20 County Board meeting.

Terlinden hopes the group will talk to counties that have EDAs about the pros and cons of having them. He also hopes the group will talk to counties that don’t have EDAs and find out why they’ve chosen that route.

Hutchinson EDA director Miles Seppelt is a proponent for a countywide EDA and believes the workshop went well. “Personally, I thought it was all very positive,” he added.

State law dictates an exploration committee must present its findings within 90 days of its first meeting. Cities across the county must pass resolutions on whether they’ll participate or not. After a public hearing, the County Board has the final say.

“It’s going to be an ongoing thing,” Terlinden said. “It’s not going to happen overnight.”

(Jorge Sosa is a staff writer for the Hutchinson Leader. He can be reached at sosa@hutchinsonleader.com [2])