County To Commission Review Of Development Efforts

Franklin County Commissioners are scheduled to vote Tuesday to hire a consulting firm that will examine local economic development programs. Jim Letizia reports.  
Commissioners are expected to approve hiring Virginia-based Business Development Advisors for nearly 180 thousand taxpayer dollars. The firm will review economic development efforts and create a strategic plan for the future with benchmarks for plan goals. The county’s economic development and planning office operates programs including a revolving loan fund for infrastructure improvements. The county wants to examine the effectiveness of such programs and make changes if needed at a time when the local population is expected to grow substantially in the near future. BDA is expected to release its plan in mid-2019.