With the signing Monday night by Bowman City Council of a resolution to reactivate the Development Authority of Elbert County, Elberton and Bowman, an economic development agency is in business again.
Bowman’s council voted unanimously to join the Elbert County Board of Commissioners and the City of Elberton supporting the authority, and added its representative – Leona Brown.
Brown will serve on the authority board with County Commission Chairman Lee Vaughn, Elberton Mayor Larry Guest, Dr. Andrea Daniel, Greg Gunter, Steve Banks and Randy Smith.
Last week the Elbert County Board of Commissioners modified the makeup of the executive committee before signing off on the authority, and the Elberton City Council followed the commission’s action by approving the county’s resolution.
The county’s amendment to the city’s original “reactivation” of the authority was to designate personnel decisions to the authority board instead of the executive committee.
“We need the development authority,” said Elbert County Attorney Bill Daughtry prior to the commissioners’ unanimous vote on the resolution. “We want to get back in the business of issuing bonds and attracting new industries again.”
After the county’s approval, Vaughn said he hoped that with the approval from the Bowman council the new development authority could meet Wednesday (June 26) at Athens Tech.
The resolutions signed by Elbert County, Elberton and Bowman reactivates a 1982 resolution that established the “Joint Development Authority of Elbert County, Elberton and Bowman.
It was created by a state legislative action.