Dozens of men and women met in a crowded room in Chattanooga on Tuesday, voting on the interests of 13 Southeast Tennessee and North Georgia counties.
Yet much of the work of the Chattanooga Area Regional Council of Governments flies under the radar, according to some of its members.
The board sets the policies and procedures for the Southeast Tennessee Development District, according to information from the district office.
McMinn County Mayor John Gentry said the development district is the “unseen arm of local government.”
“Most of our communities outside Hamilton County are rural and we don’t have the budget for planning and staff,” Mr. Gentry said. The development district provides “planning and grant-writing to other counties in Tennessee.”
According to Executive Director Beth Jones and the board’s outgoing chairman, Grundy County Mayor LaDue Bouldin, counties are more committed now than ever before to working together for a common goal.
“Services have grown with limited resources,” Ms. Jones said. “It’s been more and more important for counties to work together.”
At its quarterly meeting Tuesday, the council approved a $53 million budget and $140,000 in loans to help businesses grow. Of the budget, $35 million was in pass-through incentives for the Wacker Chemical plant in Bradley County.
The board also approved:
* $120,000 to Camp Mountain Lake Inc. in Grundy County to purchase commercial real estate. The project is expected to generate eight jobs in the first three years and an additional 35 jobs from Adventa Hospice, which will lease space at the site.
* $15,000 to Mosquito Squad of Chattanooga for support of a Mosquito Squad franchise.
The money will go toward additional equipment, marketing and advertising. The company is expected to create two new jobs over the next three years.
Members of the Southeast Tennessee Development District
Bledsoe
Bradley
Grundy
Hamilton
Marion
McMinn
Meigs
Polk
Rhea
Sequatchie
Georgia
Catoosa
Dade
Walker
Source: Southeast Tennessee Development District