Cook County Board of Commissioners will hold a public hearing on HRA/EDA merger

Should the newly formed Cook County Housing and Redevelopment Authority (HRA) be dissolved with all its duties and assets transferred to the Cook County/Grand Marais Economic Development Authority (EDA)? That will be the central question Cook County commissioners will want the public to weigh in on at the May 9 commissioners meeting.

The public forum will be held at 8:45 a.m. in the commissioner’s room.

Both the governing boards of the City of Grand Marais and Cook County will hold meetings to discuss the potential for the plan that has been green lighted by boards of the EDA and HRA.

Under the current plan HRA Director Jason Hale would assume the director duties of the EDA. Hale was hired last year to spearhead the development of housing in the county and there are potential projects on the horizon.

Former Interim County Administrator Rena Rogers cautioned the Cook County Commissioners about combining the EDA and year-old HRA during Public Comments at a recent commissioner meeting.

Rogers retired from her position as the county IT Director and Interim County Administrator in 2020. She said wearing two hats was difficult, but something she could do because she had been the IT Director for seven years and had a good crew who could maintain the operations while she took over the Administrator job when the former administrator left to take a new job. She noted that Hale was doing a good job but still in the beginning stages of his career here and that making such a big change could jeopardize the push to make new housing in the county. She asked the commissioner’s to not make any changes to the HRA or EDA at this time.