The Union County Development Board is growing.

Last month, Union County Council unanimously approved an ordinance authorizing the board ‘s expansion from seven members to 10 and one ex-officio member.

“Council did so with the anticipation that it gives a better cross-section of representation of our community on the board,” Supervisor Donnie Betenbaugh said.

Director Andrena Powell-Baker said the board had previously discussed expanding its size to be more inclusive of the economic development community. The board approved Mrs. Powell-Baker’s recommendation for expansion and presented it to council.

“With my coming on the board it was timely — a good time for me to do research on board structure and success,” she said. “I looked at other boards, got information from the Department of Commerce and made my recommendation.

“The board wants to make sure we have broad representation of all the stake holders that impact economic development in Union County,” she said. “We want to broaden our scope and have key people on the board to provide guidance and advice and who are involved in economic development in some way.”

Mrs. Powell-Baker said the board identified key sectors involved in economic development. The 10 members of the board will be drawn from these sectors:

• Public utilities

• Private utilities

• Existing industry

• Health care

• Higher education

• Financial institutions

• Other professional occupations

(The ex-officio member of the board will always be the superintendent of the Union County School District.)

Mrs. Powell-Baker stressed that expansion should not be seen as a criticism of the old board. Instead, she said, it reflects the need for a more diverse body that can prepare the county for economic challenges ahead.

“The prior board was extremely successful and as a way to build on that success, they decided to seek expansion,” she said. “When we come out of this recession everything is going to be different; it’s going to feel different and look different. When that happens, we want to feel comfortable that we’ve established a strong foundation to put us to the next level.”

Under the old system, two members of the board were appointed by the Union County Chamber of Commerce, two by the City of Union, and three by Union County. The seven appointees were then confirmed by county council.

(Some of the members of the current board whose terms have not expired will continue to serve until their terms expire. A 2006 amendment to the development board ordinance allows board members to serve two consecutive terms.)

Under the new system, prospective members will complete an application, submit a resume and undergo a face-to-face interview. The applications will be submitted to the development board, which will turn them over to county council for review. Council will then select the candidates it wants to interview and make the appointments.

Mrs. Powell-Baker said it is hoped that the application and interview process will be completed and the new board will be in place by the end of the month.

“This full-scale application process gives council a better view of the skills and capabilities of the persons applying to serve,” she said. “We’re looking for people who are passionate about economic development because they understand that if it is successful they will be successful.”