DevelopOhio

While there was plenty of debate about the Cuyahoga County Business Retention and Attraction Protocol at a recent Rocky River City Council meeting, the members voted 4-3 to approve it, West Life reports. Councilman at Large Chris Klym said he had issues entering into the agreement, a “renewal of a 2012 measure that bans communities from actively pursuing or encouraging relocation of a business from its current location to another participating municipality,” saying he sees it as “useless,” according to the article. Ordinance sponsor John Shepherd said the agreement “has no teeth,” but he noted “participation in the protocol greatly increased the chances of the city receiving grant money from a $10 million Cuyahoga County Economic Development Fund,” which is based on a point system; communities receive three points for participating. Mayor Pam Bobst said signing the agreement does make a difference when applying for grant money. The measure also establishes the county’s “Business Retention and Expansion Advisory Council (BREAC), a virtual organization that facilitates the distribution of leads from economic development organizations and site selectors to participating communities,” according to West Life. For more, read the full article.