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Union County Suspends Membership In Charlotte Regional Partnership

Union County commissioners have voted to suspend the county's membership in the Charlotte Regional Partnership, which helps recruit jobs to the Charlotte area.

Commissioners made the move in a unanimous vote last week. That came after a January recommendation by the Monroe-Union County Economic Development Board.

The county currently pays $67,000 a year in dues to the partnership. County Commission chair Jerry Simpson says the county will spend that money on its own projects.

"We are in a situation, I'm sure you're aware, in Union County, where our residential far outweighs our commercial/industrial (development), so we're up against the wall with regard to that," Simpson said. "So we have to work hard and make our dollars work as hard as they possibly can." 

That includes a project commissioners approved recently to help improve roads and other infrastructure around the Union County Airport, to attract companies.

The Charlotte Regional Partnership represents 16 counties in North and South Carolina. It recently led the region's unsuccessful bid to win Amazon's big HQ2 project.  A spokeswoman said the group is looking forward to meeting with Union County officials to resolve any concerns.

David Boraks previously covered climate change and the environment for WFAE. See more at www.wfae.org/climate-news. He also has covered housing and homelessness, energy and the environment, transportation and business.