Baldwin County commissioners are set to consider a sharp increase to one commissioner’s travel allowance, a move tied to an overseas trip aimed at landing a major manufacturer for the county’s largest economic development prospect.
Commissioner Tucker Dorsey is asking the commission to raise his personal travel allowance from $5,000 to $25,000 for the fiscal year. The request comes ahead of a planned trip next month to the Farnborough International Airshow near London, where Dorsey intends to meet with representatives of global aerospace and manufacturing companies and make the case for the South Alabama Mega Site.
“It’s a fabulous site. We just need to get out and promote it and get somebody here,” Dorsey said of the property, which sits just off Interstate 65 in Baldwin County.
County officials say roughly $25 million in public money has already gone into preparing the Mega Site for development. Consultants who reviewed the property have told county leaders it is suited for large-scale manufacturing operations, the kind that could bring as many as 5,000 jobs to the area and position Baldwin County among the sites considered by major industrial companies looking to expand or relocate in the Southeast.
Dorsey has argued that Baldwin County needs a seat at the table when it comes to major economic development decisions affecting south Alabama, and that having a shovel-ready site gives the county a stronger hand than it has had in past recruitment efforts. He acknowledged the competition for large industrial projects is fierce, with sites across the region and the country vying for the same manufacturers.
“We’ve made an investment. We’ve basically said we’re ready, and that this isn’t a maybe project for us — we’re completely committed,” Dorsey said. “We want the state to know that. We want south Alabama to know that, and more importantly, we want industry to know that worldwide.”
Dorsey said his time in London will be spent highlighting not just the physical attributes of the Mega Site but also the quality of life along the Gulf Coast, a selling point local officials often use to attract executives and skilled workers considering a relocation.
“I want to be able to communicate to a manufacturer that Baldwin County is ready, willing and able to find the right partner to do business with us at the Mega Site,” Dorsey said.
The Farnborough Airshow, held every two years outside London, draws executives, government officials and buyers from across the global aerospace and defense industry. The 2010 show alone generated an estimated $47 billion in business deals, underscoring the scale of the audience Dorsey hopes to reach on the county’s behalf.
If commissioners approve the increased allowance at Tuesday’s meeting, the additional funding would cover travel, lodging and related expenses for the London trip as well as other economic development travel Dorsey undertakes on the county’s behalf during the year. County officials have not said whether additional commissioners or staff plan to attend the airshow.
Supporters of the funding increase say the potential payoff, a major manufacturing employer choosing Baldwin County, would far outweigh the added travel cost, particularly given the millions already committed to preparing the site. Any final decision on which company, if any, chooses the Mega Site would still be months or years away, but county leaders say showing up in person at international industry events is a necessary step in a competitive recruitment process.