Dufferin County council is expected to approve an investment of $55,000 tonight in a plan that would explore ways of marketing Dufferin's potential for economic development.

The balance of the plan's $80,000-$100,000 cost would be borne by other fundraising. Tonight's approval appears vital as apparently the deadline for other applications is today, Nov. 12.

The plan, spearheaded by the Greater Dufferin Area Chamber of Commerce, would engage an economic development consultant to assess the county's potential, develop a marketing plan, and recommend what sectors should be targeted, among other things.

Chamber president Ron Munro told the county's Community Development Committee he has been working on a plan for several months. He said the mayors of Mono and Orangeville, along with the Amaranth Economic Development Committee, are in support of the plan.

The ad hoc committee comprises representatives of the Chamber, Hills of Headwaters Tourism Association, Headwaters Communities in Action, Orangeville Economic Development Committee, and Shelburne Economic Development Committee.

The committee appears to have done a lot of homework on the plan, and has laid out timelines for its phases, and has planned such that all local municipalities are included in accordance with what they have to offer.

In the first phase, it would: "hire an economic development consultant to conduct a quick review of the relevant sources of information that are available within the County and develop a Dufferin message that reflects the individual communities."

The consultant would then make recommendations on the industry sectors most likely to respond positively to the message, and devise the best way of getting the message to those sectors, the committee says. This phase is to be completed by next March.

In the second and third phases, the recommended program and media presentations would be completed and launched by June 2010.

As drafted, the program might appear to have elements of planning, but it does not wrest any control away from the lower tier.