WARREN — Two Trumbull County commissioners on Wednesday voted to renew a $23,000 contract with the Youngstown / Warren Regional Chamber for economic development services.

Commissioners Mauro Cantalamessa and Frank Fuda voted in favor of the measure. Commissioner Niki Frenchko was not present at the meeting, but provided comments following the session. She would not answer when asked why she was absent from the meeting.

The commissioners all agree that the chamber provides good business retention services and works well with the Trumbull County Planning Commission.

“Overall, they work well with our planning commission and have visited an impressively high number of businesses for retention last year during COVID. I’m happy about that,” Frenchko said.

Cantalamessa said those retention and growth elements are a “critical aspect to growing our tax base.”

“Strengthening our local economy remains priority one and the chamber provides us the tools and resources needed to make that happen,” he said.

Sarah Boyarko, chief operating officer and senior vice president of economic development at the chamber, thanked the commissioners for their long relationship. The two have partnered since 1999.

Fuda said the chamber has the tools and relationships to improve economic development. The chamber gives businesses looking for homes tours of sites and Frenchko said she would like to see the county take advantage of some more of the benefits offered within the contract than it has in the past.

“There are services such as drug screenings, (television) advertising for county jobs and analytical services that the chamber has offered in their contract, but the county has never used. I’m hopeful the board will agree to utilize these services to get more bang for their buck,” she said.

Cantalamessa acknowledged the county does not go through the chamber for the advertising and drug screening services, but said no one is hired in the county without a clean drug screening and extensive background check, and the county is advertising jobs and and “reaching more individuals, of all socioeconomic backgrounds, now than we ever have in this county.”

Boyarko said the chamber’s JobsNowprogram is open to all members and besides television advertising, it includes five free drug tests a month.

Cantalamessa said the county could compare the benefits and drawbacks of that service to what the county uses now.

Other services the chamber provides is a relocation guide to help attract quality employees to the area and customized site tours for potential developers.

He asked that Frenchko expand on what “analytical analysis” she feels “she needs us to take a look at.”

Frenchko said the county should take advantage of the “economic impact analysis” service offered by the chamber. According to chamber literature about the service, it is a personalized study to show how an organization’s economic activity impacts its surrounding community. The flyer states the service helps government entities analyze tax decisions.

She would like to see the chamber perform an analysis for the impact of joining the Western Reserve Transit Authority. If the county were to join WRTA, there would be a 0.25 percent sales tax increase.

There is a price for the impact studies, Boyarko said, but the price for members comes at a discount. That particular area of study could be considered by the staff member who runs the program, Boyarko said.

“We’d be happy for the county to take advantage of the program and we can connect them with the appropriate person,” Boyarko said.

“In 2020 and year-to-date in 2021, the Regional Chamber managed Trumbull County projects totaling $2,844,518,046 of private company investment and resulting in the creation of 3,023 new jobs and retention of 592 positions.”

Two such projects the Regional Chamber led included the attraction of M&M Industries to Lordstown, where they have invested $37 million and will create 106 new jobs, and the recent announcement by Thomas Steel Strip, which plans to create 42 new jobs while retaining 220 positions to support their expansion into the rechargeable battery market.

Boyarko said the Chamber is managing 17 pending projects throughout the Valley, totaling $1,207,492,500, that are expected to be announced within the next 12 to 24 months.

“A good portion of this pending investment is targeted for Trumbull County, and we look forward to these future expansion and attraction announcements,” she said.

Frenchko said she thinks the chamber does “good things” but does have some “hesitation” to renewing the contract.

“I hope the (chamber’s executive committee) will address the appearance of a conflict. An economic development employee assigned to the county is a member of the (Niles Community Improvement Corporation),” she said.

During prior meetings, Frenchko said she is concerned that the employee’s interests may clash with the interests of the county as a whole, and referenced talk of Niles’ annexation push and the pushback from the city’s neighboring townships.

Cantalamessa said it is “dangerous” to make assumptions about the employee.

“We can’t just impugn someone for simply taking an active part in their community while concurrently working for the chamber. That’s not right and that’s not fair. We should be encouraging all citizens, whether they work for the chamber or not, to take an active part in moving this county forward. We need that type of energy and participation,” he said.

Boyarko said the employee cleared his volunteer work on the Niles CIC board with chamber leadership before he accepted the position as a private citizen. All employees report their outside employment and volunteer activities, she said.

“We encourage our staff members to participate on board and committees in the communities where they live, on their own time, especially young professionals. We encourage community engagement,” she said.