Jobs, education, budget top priorities, Schoesler tells ACDC

A large group gathered at the American Legion Hall in Ritzville on Tuesday, Jan. 8, for the Adams County Development Council’s annual stakeholder luncheon. ACDC chairman, Ken Johnson, began the meeting by welcoming all in attendance and making announcements.

Audience members and speakers enjoyed a meal, provided by Cathy Jo’s Catering, before beginning the 2013 meeting agenda. The first speaker of the noon meeting was Ritzville City Clerk, Kris Robbins, who discussed the progress of the Washington Agriculture Discovery Center and Business Park.

Robbins serves as the city’s liaison for the Ritzville Public Development Authority (PDA) board, which spearheaded the idea of the discovery center. Robbins explained the project has received letters of endorsement from a large group of agricultural organizations within the state of Washington, and even from some organizations in Idaho.

The discovery center will be a combination of education and business components, and is intended to provide visitors with a better understanding of where their food comes from. Robbins said one idea for the discovery center is to include a bakery, which would use wheat grown locally to make products at the business.

For more information about the Washington Agriculture Discovery Center and Business Park, contact Robbins at 659-1930.

The guest speaker at the luncheon was Senator Mark Schoesler, a Ritzville native who has recently been elected as the GOP leader in Olympia.

“I’m a lifelong resident and this is a special place for me,” Schoesler said at the beginning of his speech.

Schoesler discussed a variety of topics the legislation is facing in Olympia, and focused his speech around changes needing to be made to create economic growth in the state. Schoesler said the unemployment rate in Washington is at 17.1 percent, the fifth highest unemployment rate in the nation.

According to Schoesler, the next legislation discussion will surround K-12 education, Medicaid and budget exchanges, all important to the success and future of the state. Schoesler also discussed the importance of boosting the amount of college graduates, either at a state university, community college or trade school.

He continued on to explain that while Adams County is a smaller populated county and it’s unlikely for a community college to be located here, students in the county still have the option to attend community colleges like Big Bend and Columbia Basin. Schoesler said the question must be asked, “Can you train our workforce?”

Schoesler discussed how business and the business model are ever changing, and individuals and businesses need to stay current.

“Everything requires changes of how you do business,” Schoesler explained.

Moving forward into the next session, Schoesler explained there are three things that will be focused on: jobs, education and the budget. He is focused on establishing a four-year balanced budget, not a one-year budget, by creating a formula to allow consistent economic growth and stop creating a continuous deficit.

After his speech, Johnson presented Schoesler with a gift of a painting before continuing with the remainder of the meeting. ACDC treasurer Leonard Lyon gave a brief synopsis of the 2012 fiscal budget, which ran from July 1, 2011, to June 30, 2012.

The total amount of revenue for ACDC for the 2012 fiscal year was $57,175.50. The total expense for the fiscal year, including staffing, office and marketing expenses, totaled $35,707.43.

At the conclusion of the report, Lyon encouraged businesses and individuals who are interested in supporting the economic future of Adams County to consider becoming partners with the ACDC. The four levels for partners are platinum, gold, silver and bronze.

For more information about the ACDC, contact the office at 509-331-2025, or visit http://adamswadevelopment.com.