OIDC’s Wiley to retire, Tammy Montgomery succeeds Lonnie Rue

The Olney Industrial Development Commission reported two vacancies and a plan to change its corporate mission to the Olney City Council on Feb. 13.

OIDC Director Wiley J. Hughey told the Council he will step down in May after serving the city for 25 years as the economic development chief. Mr. Hughey said the OIDC has begun searching for his replacement, placing a preliminary job description on the Texas Economic Development Corporation website and on the City’s website.

“We wanted the Council to know we are starting the process,” Mr. Hughey said, adding that courses are available for getting the new OIDC director up to speed. “They don’t have to know the economic development side,” he said.

Mr. Hughey also asked the Council to approve the OIDC’s recommendation and appoint Tammy Rogers Montgomery to replace OIDC board Vice President Lonnie Rue, whose three-year term is expiring. The Council unanimously voted to approve Mrs. Montgomery as Mr. Rue’s replacement on the board.

Mr. Hughey also informed the Council that the OIDC planned to seek a new corporate designation, changing from a Type A to a Type B corporation to expand the group’s mission.

“We were probably one of the first cities in the state to have a Type A Corporation,” he said, explaining that the Type A structure allows the OIDC to invest only in industrial and job creation. “That’s all we can use our funds for,” he said. A Type B designation would allow the OIDC to invest in “quality of life” projects in the community, such as the municipal swimming, housing, and retail, he said.

“We can’t help with that if we are a Type A,” Mr. Hughey said. The City Council approved a ballot measure at a special called meeting on Feb. 17 that puts the corporate designation question before the citizens of Olney in the May 6 municipal election.

The change to a Type B corporation adds capabilities but still allows the OIDC to invest in job and industry creation, Mr. Hughey said. It also creates a requirement for more public disclosures and hearings, he said.

The Council supported the change to Type B and also heard information about another type of corporation called a Municipal Development District.

“This is a no-brainer,” Mayor Pro Tem Tom Parker said. “It’s something we needed 10 years ago.”

Industrial development corporations in Texas are nonprofit corfor porations funded through sales taxes. Type As are typically created to fund industrial development projects such as business infrastructure, manufacturing, and research and development, as well as job training classes and public transportation, according to the Texas Comptroller’s Office.

Type B corporations can fund all projects eligible for Type A, as well as parks, museums, sports facilities, and affordable housing, but are subject to more administrative restrictions than Type A, the Comptroller’s Office said.