February 9th, 2022 by WCBC Radio

An economic development consultant on Tuesday presented Cumberland City officials with a final draft of a proposed long term economic development. Kyle Talente, vice president of the Alexandria, Virginia-based RKG Associates, submitted a report that focused on attracting and retaining business;  a focus on smaller businesses; a beefed up staff for the Cumberland Economic Development Corporation and the need for the dozens of economic development related organizations to work together and improve the lines of communication.  Developing measurable and expectations was also indentified as a priority. City Council member Laurie Marchini agreed…

While he agreed with the concept, Mayor Ray Morriss said the ultimate determination of whether an economic development strategy is working can be traced to job creation…