BESSEMER - Donna Scorse once again appeared before the Gogebic County Commission to bring them up-to-date on the Regionalization of the Revolving Loan Fund.

Scorse advised that she had a conference call this past Monday with the Michigan Economic Development Commission.  Most notably with Kevin barns, the person coercing the local EDC into submission.  What Barns has agreed to is extending the deadline to sign or else. The new deadline is March 31st. It had been February 28th. Barns has authorized the hiring of a consultant to work out the details of the regionalization process and how the plan will operate. We have since learned that the city of Houghton has already hired a consultant for that purpose.
The local EDC’s have until March 1st to respond and until March 19th to complete the plan.  If we don’t participate then they (the Lansing Banditos) will “confiscate” our funds.

Of course confiscating Gogebic’s funds wouldn’t amount to much as the county will only has $2,000 remaining in their fund, after the closing of their next loan.
With a much larger stake, Ironwood stands to lose their $135,000 fund balance.

Scorse made two statements that are somewhat concerning. First, she told the Commissioners that she spoke to Kevin Barns on behalf of Scott Erickson, Ironwood City Manager. Scott had proposed entering the regionalization process with consideration of allowing the individual RLFs to control their money for two years. Scorse just moments later stated that she did not think that would be a good idea from the county’s perspective. This is why the City of Ironwood stopped sharing an EDC director with county two years ago. Conflicts of interests are bound to come up. Confiscating Ironwood’s money and throwing it into a pot with the county’s money seems equitable, Does it? It would if we knew the money would stay here locally but, once WUPPDR gets into the act that will be very unlikely. In the meantime the County Commissioners have once again tabled the item until the second meeting in March.