By Terry Witt – Spotlight Senior Reporter
Nature Coast Business Development Council is one of those little-known pockets of Levy County government that few people outside of government know much about.
It is a non-profit organization with a staff of one that contracts with the Levy County Commission to generate jobs for the county and its eight municipalities by recruiting new businesses and assisting existing businesses.
The county commission contributes $66,000 annually to NCBDC, a 501(c)(3) public charity. Commissioners say the private sector also contributes money to the council’s budget.
To be fair, the county commission funds a separate program that awards money to businesses and industry for each new job generated, and the board often depends on the NCBDC to bring prospects to the board to request public funding. Depending on the size of the company and the number of new jobs the company generates, it can cost county government a lot of money.
The incentives program has been used by a number of Levy County businesses and businesses outside the county that wanted to relocate to this county.
Commissioners have generally kept spending low on the NCBDC’s office and staff. The board has slowly bumped up its contribution to the current $66,000 annually. Critics have whispered for years that the county was being stingy with tax dollars for the NCBDC. Last year, the board lost its executive director, Dave Pieklik, who moved south to Citrus County for more pay and to be closer to his home in Inverness. Pieklik was a whirlwind of energy and got much done as a one-man band, so to speak.
There is a change in the air. Maybe. But no one is certain whether the new concept will work or even if the county really wants to go in that direction.
The current NCBDC Executive Director Scott Osteen approached commissioners at their most recent meeting with a proposal to bring Dixie County and Gilchrist County into the organization. Commissioners granted him authority to explore the possibility of bringing the two neighboring counties under the umbrella of NCBDC. The agency would recruit economic development for all three counties instead of only Levy County.
“At the end of the day, can they kick in financially, and can we make it work, and does it make good sense,” Osteen said in answer to commissioner questions about whether the new arrangement would actually work.
Dixie and Gilchrist County have no paid staff working on economic development.
Commissioners didn’t give any endorsement to the proposal. They want to see what Osteen brings back in the way of a formal proposal.
“Generally, I think it’s worth exploring. I just want to see the proposal and the details,” said Commissioner Matt Brooks.
Brooks said the health department in Bronson is run by state government and administratively covers Levy, Gilchrist, and Dixie counties with one director. But Brooks noted that the health department is an entirely different entity.
“You kind of feel like we should have our own, that is focused on our county, so that’s the first thing that pops into my mind,” Brooks said. “But I would be intent on seeing what the proposal is and the participation, the benefits and fully making sure.”
Osteen said staffing is part of the reason for making the request.
“Part of that would be expanding staffing and having multiple people on staff as well as myself so we could cover the counties,” Osteen told commissioners.
Osteen said the name of the agency would probably remain the same. Nature Coast Business Development Council is a name that would fit all three counties working together under one roof.
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Board of County Commission Regular Meeting April 5, 2022; Posted April 17, 2022
