Kewaunee County Economic Development Corporation Executive Director Ben Nelson took advantage of his report during Tuesday's Kewaunee County Board meeting to showcase the entity's efforts to address the area's housing concerns and defend their actions. During the county's finance committee meeting held earlier this month, members questioned why the organization received funding at all, let alone a proposed increase from $40,000 to $60,000. Following a challenge from KCEDC Board Member Dan Porath for county board members to walk in Nelson's shoes, Nelson addressed the concerns during the committee meeting. He spent his opening statement addressing its non-profit status and progress on different projects. His comments on Project Homestead, the KCEDC's housing initiative, included an explanation as to why the organization was requesting an additional $20,000. Nelson says they have made tremendous progress in the short term with the project by acquiring special grants, hiring a consultant, and beginning a market analysis to learn about its next steps.

Kewaunee County Board members defended themselves as well. Vice Chairperson Gerald Paape requested a quarterly report or presentation in exchange for the county investment, something Nelson admits he fell short of during the past year.  Other board members made clear that they still supported funding for the KCEDC, even if it was not at the increased amount. The rest of the meeting included Administrator Jeremy Kral giving an update on the budget process, celebrating the award received by the county's Director of Human Services, Melissa Annoye from the Wisconsin Counties Association, and the unanimous approvals of its five resolutions. 

Watch the full meeting below