PICKENS COUNTY — The expected resolution for Pickens County to rejoin UpstateSC Alliance came to pass at the most recent Pickens County Council meeting following discussion and a proposed amendment to review the partnership on a yearly basis.

Pickens County originally split with the economic development group in 2012 after it was decided by council the county hadn’t benefited enough to justify the cost of membership, which is now estimated to run the county around $58,500, according to the county’s economic development director Ray Farley.

“Joining Upstate Alliance, you get out of it what you put into it,” said Council Chairman Roy Costner. “To me, it’s the same thing as marketing and advertising. If you’re advertising $100 hamburgers at your hamburger joint, nobody’s going to come. But if you’re using it like you’re supposed to be using it, I think that we will benefit as a county,” he said.

Farley, who recommended the resolution, had informed council the cost of joining was $.50 per capita for the first 100,000 residents, dropping a dime for the next 100,000.

At a previous Committee of the Whole meeting, Farley stated that the council should “manage their expectations and understand why it is that they want to become a member,” according to the meeting minutes.

Farley also said council should realize the best marketing they can do is to have a product that is a “fully utility served site that is pad-ready and ready to be built on and the trained, technically competent people.”

“I’m not going to support this,” Council member Trey Whitehurst said, before turning to Farley. “When we got out of this (UpstateSC Alliance) before, we took the $50,000 at the time that it cost and we gave it to you to go find businesses and travel to Germany and Canada and use that $50,000. Are you going to be asking to keep that (money) in your budget? Or are you going to ask for another $58,000 to add to that to join Upstate Alliance?”

“Yes,” said Farley. “Absolutely.”

Farley said that because economic leads and prospects come from a litany of sources, the more avenues the county has to pursue, the better.

The resolution ended up passing, despite the lone dissenting vote by Whitehurst.

The expected resolution for Pickens County to rejoin UpstateSC Alliance came to pass at the most recent council meeting following discussion and a proposed amendment to review the partnership on a yearly basis.
https://www.theeasleyprogress.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/web1_UpstateAlliance.jpgThe expected resolution for Pickens County to rejoin UpstateSC Alliance came to pass at the most recent council meeting following discussion and a proposed amendment to review the partnership on a yearly basis. Courtesy photo

By Kasie Strickland

kstrickland@civitasmedia.com

Reach Kasie Strickland at 864-855-0355.