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County finds means to continue limited funding of ED/GE, arts

Money from state incentives will provide the funds for 2011.

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By Joanne Huist Smith, Staff Writer Updated 12:06 AM Wednesday, May 12, 2010

DAYTON — A competitive economic development grants program and funding for the arts that Montgomery County expected to phase out this year, will receive partial funding in 2011.

“We had direction from the County Commission to keep the programs going,” County Administrator Deborah Feldman said. “This was not an easy task. The budget is incredibly tight.”

• The Economic Development/Government Equity Program, better known as ED/GE, will get $2 million from Montgomery County’s general fund in 2011, a figure reduced from $5 million over the last decade.

• The Montgomery County Arts & Cultural District will get $500,000, half of its 2010 budget, to support arts and cultural organizations, special projects or individual artists in 2011.

Feldman said staff scoured the budget to identify funding for the programs. The money for both comes from state incentives the county received for meeting public assistance standards.

“It’s a wonderful creative and ingenious plan,” County Commission Judy Dodge said. “(But) it’s still only half and it’s only for a year.”

The announcement by Feldman on Tuesday, May 11, gleaned praise from community leaders and arts organizations that have benefited from the programs.

“From Kettering’s perspective, ED/GE is a great program,” Gregg Gorsuch, the city’s economic development manager, said. “It encourages cooperation and regionalism.”

Competitive grants are awarded to participating Montgomery County communities twice a year for economic development projects.

In April, the international law firm known as WilmerHale announced plans to open an office in the Miami Valley Research Park in Kettering. The company has been awarded a $250,000 ED/GE grant to renovate 35,000 square feet of office space. Most of the 187 workers will be hired locally at an average salary of $49,000. The facility will have a $9.1 million payroll.

WilmerHale expects to be operating out of the Kettering office in September.

“ED/GE funds played a critical role in recruiting that firm,” Gorsuch said.

A 2007 ED/GE grant of $500,000 helped bring a Payless Shoes distribution center, now called Collective Brands, to Brookville. The company has about 600 employees.

Ken Neufeld, president and CEO of the Victoria Theatre Association and the Arts Center Foundation, said he applauded the County Commission and the county administrator for their diligence and their support of the arts.

Neufeld said the Victoria Theatre Association and Arts Center Foundation received $100,000 each from the county this year. The organizations are going through the 2011 budget process right now.

“We’re having a tough time balancing the budget without that $200,000. Everybody is struggling. For them to come back with something, is commendable,” Neufeld said.

Feldman said the hope is that investment earnings that dropped from $23 million in 2007 to an estimated $11 million in 2011 will bounce back along with sales tax revenue to fund the programs in the future.

Top 2009 recipients of ED/GE funding

Business	City	Amount	Jobs pledged
Caterpillar	Clayton	$700,000	500
Nogren	Brookville	$300,000	130
Project Charlie	Vandalia	$250,000	130
AcuTemp	Moraine	$225,000	100
Mound Building 3	Miamisburg	$200,000	30
General Dynamics	Riverside	$200,000	83
Cam Manufacturing	West Carrollton	$200,000	20
Carter Logistics	West Carrollton	$200,000	3