From what’s been made known so far, Jackson County commissioners are right to clamp down on the county’s Economic Development Commission until they — and the public — have a full understanding of just what kind of activities the board and the Jackson Development Corporation have been engaged in.

At the same time, commissioners need to make sure they are abiding by state laws. In particular, paying close attention to the state’s Open Meeting Laws will help Jackson’s leaders as they try to tackle what could become a thorny issue.

Two weeks ago Jackson commissioners sought to bring all EDC activities under their authority. That motion overstepped the county’s authority. Jackson’s EDC is a joint board with appointees from the county, each municipality and the two colleges — Western Carolina University and Southwestern Community College. While the county foots the majority of the bills, the make-up of the EDC gives the towns their own voting power that can’t be usurped by the commissioners.

But this truth should not be meant as a criticism of what the county commissioners are trying to do. From what reporters and county officials have been able to determine, it seems obvious that the EDC was operating under an unusual kind of autonomy. The group was spending huge amounts of tax dollars without management oversight from any of the elected bodies that appointed representatives and contributed money. While the question of whether the EDC was doing anything improper needs to be answered, just as important is for those who appoint representatives and contribute money to develop a better oversight process.

“I know we don’t control the EDC. We need to,” said county board Chairman Stacy Buchanan.

At the heart of this dispute is the use of $1.2 million in a revolving loan fund. Tom McClure, the EDC chairman and a member of the loan committee, says monitoring payments from those who received money from the revolving loan fund was the responsibility of the county. Commissioners, it seems, thought their appointees were overseeing the fund.

This matter is likely to be resolved in the coming weeks, and that should occur under an open process. When commissioners first made the decision to audit the EDC and attempted to remove McClure as chairman, they acted immediately after coming out of a closed session. The motions made without discussion concerned topics that aren’t supposed to be discussed in closed session. It is tempting to take care of what may be perceived as nasty business behind closed doors, but that does not serve the public well and is illegal.

Like other counties in the mountains, Jackson’s economy is in transformation and it is going to be a challenge to manage growth and create jobs while maintaining the quality of life residents expect. Solving these EDC problems will serve residents well, but the process is almost as important as the outcome. That’s something all involved need to remember.