The Moniteau County Regional Economic Development Council (MRED), in an effort to return to the original intent of the organization, began implementation of the "committee method" of operation. According to Chairman Mike Kelley, the effort is being made to return the organization to a member and supporter-driven economic development operation.
The board, regular members and supporters of MRED were requested to choose one of the four committees to become involved in. Kelley commented that members and supporters of the organization are not expected to spend a lot of time on this committee work. Each committee is expected to decide on one or two goals, which it can accomplish in the next year, and determine an estimated cost to achieve that goal.
The committees are Marketing, Business Attraction/Development, Retention and Workforce Development.
The Marketing Committee will attempt to attract business from the Information Technology/Data Center industry. The extensive high-speed fiber-optics installation in the area is believed to make the county an attractive place for off-site data storage.
MRED is in reasonable financial shape at this time. As a result, the organization is able to seek a USDA rural development grant. If the requested 25 percent matching grant of $40,500 is received, MRED would be prepared to match it with $10,500.
The particular grant applied for is a gigabit broadband development opportunity. The Mid-Missouri Regional Planning Commission (MMRPC) assisted in putting the application together.
The Board discussed whether to request an extension of the program to make Moniteau County a certified WorkReady community. To become a Missouri Certified Work Ready Community, several steps must be taken.
MRED has done this on behalf of the county, but has not yet reached the threshold criteria for "transitioning" workers, using the ACT National Framework. The term "transitioning" refers to those workers who are looking for work after previous jobs ended, and have completed the three-hour tests to obtain the WorkReady certification.
The certification is an indication of the ability to go on a job and be able to do the the work. Since Moniteau County does not have a testing center, it is possible those from the county are being counted where they take the tests, rather than where they actually reside.