Fiscal responsibility, industrial recruitment and “common-sense spending” highlight UTM student and Martin mayoral candidate Brent Smoyer’s economic plan, which he says is a central tenet to his campaign against incumbent Randy Brundige.

Smoyer announced details of his economic plan Monday. In his economic plan, Smoyer, 23, proposed a close inspection of the way Martin does business, and advocated cost-cutting without raising taxes. Additionally, Smoyer outlined a proposal to encourage industry and new commercial ventures to take root in the city.

“It’s really a simple plan,” Smoyer said. “We just can’t spend more than we have. If you don’t have the money, then you can’t spend it.”

The senior biology major-turned-politician said his administration would look closely at all expenditures, and then look for ways to reign in runaway spending.

“For instance,” Smoyer said, “this month we approved $9,000 for the upkeep of the city’s flower beds, and that just doesn’t make sense. I’m sure there are community service organizations, even on campus, which would be more than willing to take care of the flower beds on campus.”

At the Oct. 9 meeting of the Board of Aldermen, Brundige recommended accepting a bid for $9,000 per year for the maintenance of the city’s flower beds and shrubs, which the board approved unanimously.

However, Brundige said by contracting the maintenance of the flower beds and shrubs to a third party, the city actually saves money.

“There is no extra expense to the city here,” Brundige said. “We do contracts so we don’t have to buy the equipment and hire people to do the work. We’ve looked at the cost, but it’s more expensive that way.”

Smoyer also questioned the city’s recent $223,700 investment in two downtown buildings on behalf of the Martin-based Regional Entrepreneurship and Economic Development (REED) Center, a collaborative effort of UTM, the City of Martin and area banks.

At the October city board meeting, the city approved the $223,700 bid to remodel two downtown buildings at 406 and 408 South Lindell St. for the REED Center’s use. While $60,000 of that is funded by a grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Smoyer questioned whether the city’s spending the balance of $163,700 is a wise investment, since the REED Center currently houses its offices at the former First State Bank in University Plaza for minimal rent.

“Two years ago, when they brought the REED Center to the city’s attention with great excitement, it was initially said it wouldn’t cost the city anything,” Smoyer said. “And now, two years later, it’s a quarter of a million dollars, which would be fine, if it would be seen that it would bring great benefit, if that would indeed spark new businesses.”

But Smoyer said neither he nor the board has heard a report on how much money the REED Center had infused into the local economy, as well as how many new businesses owe their startup to the center.

Smoyer said he is not opposed to economic training and development, just the expense to the city.

“We have to look at the gains versus the costs,” Smoyer said. “If the REED Center could operate at less expense for Martin, I’d be all for it.”

Additionally, he said the REED Center does not go far enough to ensure viable economic growth and development for Martin. In his plan, Smoyer outlined a narrower focus on development, proposing an entrepreneurial incubator program similar to the REED Center, but with the added benefit of having a building that would house offices and facilities for start-up businesses while offering discounted utilities and other incentives.

“Training is one thing,” Smoyer said, “but people need resources to start new businesses. A lot of people have ideas to start new businesses, but it’s increasingly difficult to secure the initial capital. We should look at supplementing training with a mechanism for supporting new businesses.”

However, REED Center Coordinator Hollie Holt said the center, which opened in August 2005 and operates on about $55,000 per year, is adequately serving not only Martin, but also the surrounding region, and the center’s downtown relocation is justified.

“Being downtown will help the center be noticeable, will bring traffic to the area, which will in turn benefit downtown development,” Holt said. “There will also be other benefits to the city, like having a seminar room that departments can use for their meetings.”

Holt added Smoyer’s claim that the center has not helped the Martin economy is false. She said the center has assisted 30 existing or start-up businesses in Martin alone. Furthermore, she said the center has helped keep some businesses afloat despite a fluctuating economic climate.

The opportunity to move into the vacated downtown building was a fortuitous one for both the city and the center, she said. Holt projected the center’s downtown location to be more easily accessible by businesses, as well as help spur downtown economic development, which has been languishing in recent years.

Holt said the downtown building will not only house the REED Center, but also other city offices as well.

Brundige also stood in support of the REED Center’s relocation, saying the center is an investment in the future of Martin.

“The center not only helps the community, but helps the tie between the city and community,” he said. “It gives people an opportunity to develop a business plan.”

But while Smoyer remained skeptical of the center’s relocation, he also criticized Brundige’s industrial recruitment, and he put forth a plan to encourage industrial recruitment by offering more tax breaks and incentives to industries eyeing Martin for relocation, which he said the city could afford if it cuts costs.

“We need to be more aggressive, more vigilant and more creative in bringing industry here,” he said. “We need to work with the chamber to improve recruiting. There’s a vested interest in the status quo here.”

But Brundige countered Smoyer’s plan, saying he has recently entered an alliance of Weakley County mayors in hiring an economic development adviser for the county, and he said the investment is already paying off.

“Now, we’re not going to recruit (for industry) town-by-town,” he said. “We’re recruiting for the county, and it makes sense. People are coming here for new business and new industry.”

Brundige cited a recently approved 100,000-square-foot, $2 million investment by Weakley County in an industrial spec building to be located in Martin. The city’s share in the building will be about $600,000, Brundige said.

Brundige listed ongoing efforts to improve the Union City airport, the recent Wal-Mart Supercenter construction and upcoming construction of a hotel, at least one strip mall and possibly a Walgreen’s as signs of a successful commercial recruiting program.

Still, Smoyer, calling attention to economic decline, fiscal irresponsibility and increasing underemployment, said he thinks he could do better at keeping Martin’s books in order.

“We’re spending money like it’s going out of style,” he said. “And we need to keep spending common sense, encourage industrial growth through closer cooperation of the economic development boards and encourage new commercial ventures through a heightened entrepreneurial support system.”

Brundige, Martin’s first full-time mayor who is finishing his first four-year term, said his record speaks for itself.