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HARTINGTON – Cedar County does not have an office that promotes economic development on a countywide scale, but that could change.
Randolph City Administrator/Clerk Ben Benton met with the county board of commissioners on July 25 to discuss creating a county economic development office similar to the one Knox County has located in Center.
He mentioned what he learned during a Nebraska Business Development Center meeting he attended on July 18 that Visit Knox County – which promotes economic development and tourism in its county – hosted at Niobrara State Park.
While at that meeting, Benton asked Knox County Economic Development Director Kelly Hanvey and Visit Knox County Director Stacy Miller how their office is funded.
Benton also was impressed by their promotional items, which include a Knox County attractions guide and map.
“This makes me want to visit Knox County, which is the name of their organization,” Benton said. “It really is working.”
He was told that Visit Knox County is partially funded by the county – including employee benefits – and partially funded by the incorporated communities in the county through interlocal agreements, with contribution amounts varying depending on each town’s population.
“That’s kind of a neat idea,” Benton said. “Thinking about Cedar County, Cedar County already has the tourism board. You guys do a phenomenal job with facilitating that. That’s got a lot of grants and a lot of really good things for the county.”
He noted as far as economic development goes in Cedar County, there is an opportunity to do something on a countywide level.
“Tourism, economic development – they really go hand-in-hand,” Benton said. “They work with each other for the betterment of the area.”
He explained he was meeting with the commissioners about the idea of creating an economic development office that is partially funded by Cedar County and partially funded by the incorporated communities within the county through interlocal agreements.
“The county itself benefits collectively,” said Benton, who recently was appointed to his first three-year term on the Norfolk-based Northeast Nebraska Economic Development District Board of Directors.
He noted the city of Randolph used to have an economic development director, but has not had anyone in that position since 2020.
Benton added the city of Laurel also does not have an economic development director.
Mandy Bruning, Coleridge’s assistant village clerk who also is in charge of economic development for the community, and Miranda Becker, the city of Hartington’s economic development coordinator, also attended the commissioners’ meeting.
“These are the only two economic developers in all of Cedar County,” Benton said. “My thought process is, instead of each community trying to do their own thing, let’s create a unit that represents Cedar County for the benefit of all communities.”
He noted when the communities in Cedar County prosper, the county as a whole prospers.
“In the end, we want people to come to Cedar County,” Benton said. “We want people to open a business here and raise a family here and hopefully raise a few families here and pay those property taxes.”
He asked the commissioners about their thoughts on the idea of creating a county economic development office.
Board Chairman Dave McGregor noted this idea has been brought up before to the commissioners, but nothing ever came of it.
“One time years ago, we discussed a countywide economic development director,” McGregor said. “The towns – they kind of wanted their own.”
Benton said discussions with representatives of each incorporated community in the county next year would be key to see whether they would support a county economic development office.
“It’s cyclical,” Benton said. “I think right now, you would find that the communities might come together.”
He noted if Cedar County created a county economic development office that also received funding from each incorporated community in the county, the contribution amounts should be based on each town’s population.
“Second-class cities would pay more than a village,” Benton said. “It just has to make sense for everybody. It can’t be a flat fee.”
In Nebraska, second-class cities are incorporated communities containing more than 800 residents and fewer than 5,000 inhabitants, unless they adopt or retain a village form of government.
Hartington, Laurel and Randolph are second-class cities in Cedar County, while Belden, Coleridge, Fordyce, Magnet, Obert, St. Helena and Wynot are villages.
Benton noted he has good working relationships with other city administrators and village clerks in the county, as well as with Bruning and Becker.
“I can start planting seeds and asking questions,” Benton said of gauging whether other communities in the county would be interested in supporting a county economic development office.
He explained he approached the commissioners first with the idea to see whether they would be interested in pursuing it.
“I’m coming to the top first and I’m going to work my way down,” Benton said, noting if there was no interest from the commissioners, he was not going to waste his time reaching out to other communities.
“If you guys are thinking it might be a good idea, just let me know, and I’m happy to help facilitate the legwork – to see if the interest is there from the communities and maybe report back in the next quarter and see where we’re at,” he said.
McGregor noted Knox County likely has more tourist attractions than Cedar County, but Commissioner Craig Bartels countered, saying, “We still need to take advantage of what we’ve got.”
The board chairman agreed, with Commissioner Dick Donner noting he likes what Knox County is doing to promote itself and would like to see Cedar County do more to market itself.
The commissioners encouraged Benton to contact other communities in the county to gauge their interest in supporting a county economic development office.
“I guess pursue it and see what’s out there,” McGregor said. “Do some more legwork on it. See where it’s at.”
