EDC tells county commissioners its work brings jobs, payroll and property-tax growth to Grand Forks County

Keith Lund, president and CEO of the Grand Forks Region Economic Development Corporation, told the Grand Forks County Commission the EDC focuses on attracting and retaining primary-sector businesses and on workforce development to grow the county’s tax base and job opportunities.

Lund described the EDC’s funding mix — he said the county and city contribute roughly $250,000 each annually and the business community is budgeted at $570,000 — and said the organization recently received roughly $300,000 in workforce-related grants from the North Dakota Department of Commerce. He told commissioners that, in the EDC’s view, county investment is leveraged: "For every $1 that you invest in the Economic Development Corporation, $4.95" comes from other sources, he said.

Lund gave headline impact figures for EDC clients: an estimated $2.8 million annually to the collective property-tax base, $669 million in payroll across the region’s primary-sector clients, and more than 9,000 jobs with an average salary near $72,000. He also described a pipeline of 19 active projects he estimated at more than $900 million in potential capital — noting not all projects will reach completion — and cited Twin State Environmental and a soybean crush project as current examples.

Commissioners asked about the county’s fiscal tradeoffs when offering incentives that defer property-tax revenue until project completion. Staff and presenters clarified how some exemptions are structured (typically delaying tax capture until valuation occurs at completion) and said project-specific estimates come from city analyses.

Lund and EDC staff emphasized workforce activities — K–12 outreach, an internship and retention programs in partnership with the University of North Dakota — as central to sustaining local employers, including defense and UAS-related industries.

Commissioners did not take any immediate action after the presentation but asked staff to provide additional expense and project-specific information on request.