SW Arizona News

Parker Town Council has approved an agreement with La Paz Economic Development Corporation (LPEDC), which will provide funding to the corporation through the end of fiscal year 2020-21. 

Town Manager Lori Wedemeyer proposed the agreement to the council on April 7, which was unanimously approved by, according to Parker Pioneer. The agreement will end on June 30, 2021, and give LPEDC $15,000 for the remainder of this fiscal year and $30,000 in fiscal year 2020-21. 

“We have worked very hard on this agreement," Wedemeyer told the Parker Pioneer. 

The council had been discussing the agreement for a while and how LPEDC wasn't meeting town expectations for certain needs, according to Parker Pioneer. This led some town council members to want to add performance requirements to the agreement. 

Council member Frank Savino worked diligently on the proposed agreement, according to Parker Pioneer. He said during the April 7 meeting that there was a lot of negativity between the town and the corporation, but both still made an agreement with each other that addressed specific needs, Parker Pioneer reports. Parker specifically has housing needs, according to Parker Pioneer. 

Parker needs more housing so more people can live and work in the town, Vice Mayor Jerry Hooper said during a March 9 work session. 

But Wedemeyer said she didn't know if LPEDC actually knew what the town needs, according to Parker Pioneer. 

"I'm not sure the EDC knows what the town is looking for," Wedemeyer said during the meeting on March 9. 

During the meeting, Hooper said the town needs to specify exactly what they want from LPEDC. 

Before the council voted in favor of the agreement, LPEDC's board approved the proposal as well, according to Parker Pioneer. 

The Town Council meeting was held virtually on April 7 to practice social distancing and prevent the spread of COVID-19.