Dodge County Board Votes To Keep ThriveED Partnership In Place

(Juneau) The Dodge County Board voted down a resolution Tuesday to terminate an economic partnership agreement with Jefferson County. ThriveED is a non-profit organization that works to support local businesses and spur growth throughout the region. Dodge County currently pays $135-thousand-dollars of the group’s $539-thousand yearly operating budget. In recent weeks, several supervisors have argued there has not been a significant return on investment since ThriveED began operations in 2017. Supervisor Jeff Schmitt, who authored the resolution, says the county needs to come up with better plan to spur economic growth. Other board members pointed to a recent meeting the county held with municipal leaders to discuss economic issues, where local mayors argued the positive impacts ThriveED has had in their community. Supervisor Jeff Caine says it would cost the county would end up spending more if they tried to tackle economic development alone. The resolution failed with nine voting to support terminating the agreement while 21 other supervisors voted to keep it in place.