Bannock County may pull out of proposed economic development plan

Bringing more jobs to Eastern Idaho is top priority to many local leaders.

The Pocatello, Idaho Falls and Blackfoot areas have a proposed economic development plan that would bring the three areas together. The idea is all would be viewed as a single economic region. Each area would have local presence, and the local bureaus would be overseen by a regional director.

Now, Bannock County isn’t so sure about the idea. Leaders said they still support it, but want to collaborate and not consolidate.

Seventy thousand dollars from Bannock County taxpayers would be used for this.
Officials say they can’t justify spending that money on other counties.

Even if Bannock County chooses not be a part of it, the other areas still hope to do it.

“To combine an area like Eastern Idaho all together, from Pocatello all the way to Idaho Falls, then what you do is you have this huge market. You have universities, you have medical complexes and campuses that you can tout in all these three areas, and you have a variety of a market. Now you’re getting the attention of people, okay, and you can attract higher-paying jobs, because that’s one of the problems we struggle with in Eastern Idaho,” said Jeff Kelley, a member of the Bingham Economic Development Board.

The official vote will be on Dec. 17.