Regional Planning Invaluable to Local Governments

Storefront in McMinn County

In southeastern Tennessee, Ron Banks, McMinn County Executive, knows the value of regional development organizations and especially the organization he has been working with, the Southeast Tennessee Development District, an Economic Development Administration district in Chattanooga.

In the early 1980s, McMinn County was faced with many problems, including an overcrowded jail and an overflowing landfill. The jail, state certified to hold 22 inmates, held 50. The landfill was also running out of space. According to Banks,“Most of the time, governments deal with problems in a reactionary way, waiting until it is almost too late.”

McMinn County took stock of their potential problems and looked at the resources available to address them. Three priorities were apparent: the jail, the landfill and deficiencies in schools needed to be addressed before any future plans could be discussed. County officials determined their long- and short-term debt and the resources they could use to eliminate that debt. At the same time, their five-year capital improvements plan addressed all problems plaguing their communities.

Once the problems with the jail, the landfill and the schools were solved, the county could think about the things they wanted to do, rather than those that they needed to do. Since 1989, with the help of the Southeast Tennessee Development District, McMinn County has been holding annual planning sessions, gathering all ten county commissioners to discuss the deficiencies in their communities. Southeast Tennessee Development District served as a facilitator for these sessions. The result of these planning sessions has been annual management strategies. Currently, the county is working to be debt-free by 2002, and to operate in a pay-as-you-go manner afterwards.

In addition, the county has been able to keep their tax rate constant, mostly as a result of industrial development.

According to Banks, “We have been very successful, thanks to Southeast Tennessee Development District. We are now operating in a proactive mode, not a reactive mode. We feel that we can get a lot more done. And we’re saving money, because it costs a lot less to deal with issues before they become real problems.”

According to Joe Guthrie, Executive Director of Southeast Tennessee Development District, “McMinn County’s systematic annual planning has been a massive success. They are our shining example. The county is now able to take advantage of opportunities as they come.”

The development district has also been invaluable in helping McMinn County deliver programs and services. Banks explains, “The development district knows what we need. They know what funding is available and how it fits with our plans. This is a great situation for us.”

For example, the development district knew of the deficiencies in getting water supplies to the rural areas of McMinn County, both those eligible for community development block grants and those not eligible. Rather than creating a countywide water utility business, McMinn County is leveraging its money in order to systematically cover the county with water service.

Union Grove Volunteer Fire Department in McMinn County

The same has been done with respect to the county’s local volunteer fire service. McMinn County gave its communities incentives to build local fire departments and purchase equipment. McMinn County has 11 volunteer fire departments covering all the local communities. According to Banks, “There has been a great effort to help neighbors.” The county provides each department with a fire truck and an attack vehicle, in addition to providing maintenance services, protective equipment and other supplies. The individual departments hold fundraisers to acquire additional funds.

Banks notes, “McMinn County uses the district for help in planning. The district helps us to accomplish things that we can’t hire people to do. The development district is a resource. It’s like having a whole staff working for you.”

The Southeast Tennessee Development District is attempting to develop similar relationships with three other counties in their ten-county region. Of the three, two are distressed. The goals for these counties will be diversifying their economic bases, bringing in new opportunities, and mobilizing the counties to take advantage of opportunities as they come.

Guthrie explains, “Planning allows individual concerns and priorities to get involved. It allows us to come to consensus about the priorities for our communities. It is an interactive process.”

By Melissa Levy, Digest Managing Editor

For more information, contact Ron Banks of McMinn County at (423) 745-7634; or Joe Guthrie of Southeast Tennessee Development District at (423) 266-5781 or by email at jguthrie@sedev.org.

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