DAHLONEGA, Ga.- Rebecca Mincey presented the Board of Commissioners with the annual Development Authority report at the work session on Dec. 7.

Robb Nichols and Sam McDuffie also gave a presentation on the Chamber of Commerce and Tourism. The board also discussed extending the contract for the LC Wimpy Airport Fencing.

Mincey the Executive Director of the Development Authority brought before the commissioners the 2021 year in review report. Highlighted in the report are is the population which is 33,610, the county labor draw which is 16,363, regional labor draws 170,684, median household income $55,800, and unemployment average of 3.66% this is for the years 2017-2021.

The priorities for the development authority are business retention, relocation, & expansion, workforce development, special projects and organizational development. Mincey also provided a list of the current top employers for Lumpkin County. Those are the University of North Georgia, Lumpkin County School System, Lumpkin County Government, JTKET North America Corp. Koyo Bearings, Mount Sinai Wellness Center, Wal-Mart, U.S. Army Ranger Camy Frank D. Merrill, RefrifiWear, Wahoo Docks & Decks, StruXure Outdoor and Northeast Georgia Medical Center.

There has been a 12% increase in average weekly manufacturing wages between 2018 and 2021. There has also been a 59% increase in health care and social assistance jobs in the same time frame. For more information on the Development Authority visit https://picklumpkincounty.org/about/.

“I think that shows how the community works together with its not just the board of commissioners, it’s not just the development authority, it’s the entire community,” commented Chairman of the Board Chris Dockery.

McDuffie presented some of the achievements of tourism through Lumpkin County. Since relaunching the website there has been a 44% increase in clicks and leads. There have been 1.5 million page views and a 6% increase in newsletter subscribers.

The social media platform has had an increase of 16% of followers. They will also be able to dedicate over $200,000 to marketing in the coming year.

The board also review the request to extend the LC Wimpy Airport Fencing Contract. The construction is complete on this project but due to supply train issues the fencing has not arrived yet. It is expected to be delivered in January. The final date of which will be given in late December. The DOT is paying 75% of the cost so it does not hurt the board financially to extend the contract.