The South Western Kentucky Economic Development Council Board of Directors met virtually Monday and approved an amendment of the by-laws.
Chairman Lee Conrad says the by-laws have been amended to include both the Todd County and Trigg County Superintendents of Schools to serve as ex officio members of the council, with Conrad saying the education system is a vital part of economic development.
That was approved unanimously, with the superintendents set to begin serving during the next meeting. Economic Development Council Executive Director Carter Hendricks gave an update on both himself and local unemployment rates—he says Monday was his first day back from a completed quarantine period that was due to a positive COVID-19 test.
Christian County had the highest unemployment rate locally at 8.5 percent—up slightly from last month—with Todd County having the lowest rate at 5.5 percent. Trigg County’s rate was at 7.2 percent. Hendricks says those numbers can be expected to fluctuate as industries and businesses learn to navigate a COVID-19 world.
Hendricks says they continue to see interest in the area from industries, but was unable to go into much detail due to confidentiality—the EDC also continues to expand their marketing outreach and research what gets interest and how to best utilize websites and social media.