Commissioners Give Real Estate Expo To RACW

Washington County Commissioners have passed on responsibility of the Washington County Real Estate Expo to the Redevelopment Authority of the County of Washington. The county will however, retain the responsibilities of marketing, graphic design and set up for the event. Commissioner Chairman Nick Sherman said that it was time to let go of the program and called the Redevelopment Authority the best organization to advance the program. He said that by doing this, the program may qualify for additional funding. The vote however was 2-1. Commissioner Larry Maggi asked that the measure be tabled because of a recently received audit of last year’s expo that levels what he calls, severe questions in the administration of the event. He said that the county should address the concerns in the audit before passing it along to the RACW. Sherman said that the calendar dictates that the transfer be done now for planning purposes. Maggi, who states that he is not in favor of the event, calls the expo a waste of taxpayer money. Sherman says that a recent meeting with the Secretary of the Department of Community and Economic Development indicates that the event falls in line with state efforts in providing housing and business support.