The economic development agency for the greater Saint John area is coming under scrutiny from the region’s mayors.
The mayors said they can’t say with certainty that Enterprise Saint John is giving them a suitable return on their investment.
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“We need all of our economic development agencies to present to us detailed plans to help us achieve results on tax base, people and jobs,” said Saint John Mayor Don Darling
The mayors said they are committed to working together on economic development.
In Quispamsis, town council is considering cutting its funding to Enterprise Saint John in half.
“Our council is certainly committed to maximizing every taxpayers dollar and we want to make sure and ensure that every dollar is well spent,” Quispamsis Mayor Gary Clark said.
The mayors conveyed their message to ESJ via a news release. something their chairman wasn’t happy with.
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“Would I say that we feel undermined? I feel absolutely that way,” board chair Larry Hachey said.
Hachey called the statement untrue and misleading, adding specific information was being sought too far in advance.
“We were presenting to them in the summer a plan for 2017 and beyond looking for broad feedback before we put the detail into the plan,” said Hachey. “The detail is now complete.”
That plan will go to the ESJ board Dec. 15.
For the time being, Saint John council is providing Enterprise Saint John only half its yearly funding of $475,000.
As far as the second half of the funding is concerned, Darling said more will be known by the end of March.
That’s when a growth plan road map will be ready. At that time they’ll know how to move forward on the economic development file.