Byron creating new economic department

BYRON -- The City Council is creating a new department and redefining duties in other departments based on proposed city ordinances.

Three ordinances received a first reading at Monday's meeting and likely will be voted on March 14.

According to the proposed ordinances, the council will create a new Economic and Community Development Department with its own director.

Mayor Larry Collins said the department and director will provide a more efficient and focused way to foster development.

"What's happened is, over the years different parts of this have been handled by different volunteers," he said. "What we have to do now to be competitive is provide a single, go-to person with the authority to deal with economic development issues and jump on opportunities and stay with them."

Collins said the other two ordinances redefine duties of the Public Works and the Planning and Zoning departments and will allow each to more effectively fill specific city needs.

In the city's current organization, Public Works is under the Planning and Zoning Department. Collins said the split and clarification of duties will allow the Public Works Department to concentrate on utilities, construction and maintenance as well as a future stormwater program. It will allow the Planning and Zoning Department to focus on planning for the future.

"This is really a response to economic recovery and growth and reflects the need to do things differently and manage things better," Collins said.

Also at the meeting, the council heard from B.J Walker, executive director of the Development Authority of Peach County. Walker told the council he was available to help the city work toward development in the north end of Peach County.

Walker said the authority has a range of promotional resources the city could use to help bring new businesses and industry.

He said the authority could help with a range of developmental strategies, many of which could be used to help bring business to existing industrial parks. He said such strategies included access to advertising with online sites popular among businesses looking to relocate.

Contact writer Michael W. Pannell at mwpannell@gmail.com.

This story was originally published February 9, 2016 at 6:23 PM with the headline "Byron creating new economic department ."