Meeting for the first time since October 2011, Ohio Third Frontier Commission leaders, at a joint advisory board and commission meeting on May 23, 2012, assured stakeholders and board members that they will do more work directly in the public eye, The Plain Dealer reports. The commission also stated that it will start rendering decisions on a large number of applications for funding currently sitting before the group, the article said.
The Ohio Third Frontier Commission was created to direct public investments into organizations that would advance the state's high-tech industries. However, some supporters have become concerned about the commission’s future, noting that it “has been slow to disburse money amid reports that Gov. John Kasich would like to change its direction” to emphasize loans and job development over grant assistance, the article said.
According to executive director Lisa Delp, commission staff has “been busy designing new programs that favor loans over grants and that reach out to a broader range of potential job creators.” Installation of those new programs has presented administrative challenges, Delp said.
With $190 million to invest in high-tech prospects this year, only a small portion, approximately $24 million, has been awarded by the commission. With its fiscal year ending June 30, the “board plans to award another series of grants and loans at its June meeting,” the article said. Funds not awarded this fiscal year will be rolled into next year. For more information, read the full story.
