BAKERSVILLE — Mitchell County currently has no industrial park or ownership of industrial property to market to potential industries but the Mitchell County Economic Development Commission is seeking to change that and hopes that a partnership with Yancey County will pay big dividends.
The Mitchell County EDC and its Director Mickey Duvall have spent several months working on and refining the Mitchell-Yancey joint industrial park project, which is the first of its kind for Western North Carolina.
After the sale of the Mitchell County Henredon Site to Krantz Industries for an Amazon partnership and expansion, Mitchell was left with no properties to market to industries looking to expand, which opened the door for the joint industrial park project.
The Mitchell County Board of Commissioners during its regular meeting on Monday, April 19 unanimously approved a memorandum of understanding between Mitchell and Yancey counties for industrial site acquisition, development and marketing.
North Carolina General Statutes grant authority to local governments to make appropriations for economic development purposes, including the acquisition and development of land for industrial parks. Both Yancey and Mitchell counties are aiming to increase job opportunities and the tax base in their respective jurisdictions.
The Mitchell and Yancey Board of Commissioners have directed county staff and county economic development commission boards to evaluate options for the acquisition and development of a joint industrial park with costs and revenues shared between the two counties.
Additional North Carolina General Statutes authorize two or more units of local government to enter into contracts or agreements to share the costs and revenues from the development of an industrial or commercial park or site.
The two counties will pursue joint industrial park acquisition and development under a strict structure that is laid out in the approved memorandum of understanding.
The plan begins with the creation of an advisory committee that will be tasked with identifying, assessing and recommending the acquisition and development of one or more sites.
The committee will make recommendations to both boards of commissioners and will present a report on suitable sites.
The committee will also develop and propose marketing strategies, incentive packages for joint industrial site development and take on any other tasks deemed necessary.
The committee will be made up of EDC Directors from both counties, both Chairs of the boards of commissioners, both county managers and one economic development commission voting board member from each county.
Once sites are identified for acquisition and development, the MOU also states that Mitchell and Yancey counties will execute interlocal agreements for each site that define each county’s participation in the acquisition, development, marketing and revenue sharing of the joint properties.
The MOU ends by stating that nothing prohibits either county from independent industrial site acquisition and development. Additionally, the MOU states it does not obligate either county in any way on independent economic development efforts.
No tax revenues may be appropriated to the Regional Economic Development Commission or obligated by the Regional Economic Development Commission unless it has been appropriated by the county commissioners after public hearings or if the money is expressly included in an annual budget resolution.
“Both county economic development commissions are anxious to begin working together on what is the first joint industrial park project of its kind in Western North Carolina,” Duvall said. “On behalf of the Mitchell County EDC, I want to thank Mitchell County Board of Commissioners Chair Matthew “Vern” Grindstaff and all of the commissioners for their forward vision and strong support of this project.”