West Central Development Council

West Central Development Council (WCDC) is an advisory and service organization serving other units of local government in Calhoun, Christian, Jersey, Greene, Macoupin, Montgomery, Morgan, Scott, and Shelby counties.

WCDC is managed by a 31-member board of directors comprised of representatives from the nine-county region. Professional and support staff headed by Executive Director Amy M. “Mik” Arnett, carries out the day to day operations of the agency.

WCDC advises and cooperates with units of local governments to assist them in making decisions regarding current and future development activities. The areas of assistance encompass diverse fields of economic and community development to offer a wide range of technical and professional services to governmental units in the region. Since WCDC operates on a not-for-profit basis, these services are provided either free or at a low cost through contractual arrangements.

Community Development Services

Community planning is essential in managing a community’s resources. The council’s staff can help identify potential funding sources, and guide communities through the information and administrative requirements related to the grant program. In many cases, council staff can provide in-depth assistance in preparing grant applications and administration following the grant award.

Economic stability and growth for counties and their communities are largely determined by whether a skilled and educated workforce is available in the area. While technology reshapes work and workplace skills, it also widens the already existing earnings gap between those with skills and those without, thus creating a vast inequality of income that could eventually dominate and undermine the financial stability of counties. Counties are able to leverage workforce investment policies in concert with local economic development agendas-enriching the local human capital infrastructure and strengthening the ability to meet the ever increasing needs of employers for a skilled workforce.

All of the WCDC services are provided in the local one-stop centers. The one-stop centers in our local workforce area are known at the Job Centers. The Job Centers are a culmination of state and local agencies that provide workforce development programs and services as well as economic development activities. Our Job Centers are at the following locations:

The Carlinville Job Center (Macoupin County)
116 South Plum
PO Box 260
Carlinville, IL 62626
217-854-9753

The Shelbyville Job Center (Shelby County)
515 N. Cedar Street
Shelbyville, IL 62565
217-774-5550

The Jacksonville Job Center (Morgan and Scott counties)
850 S. Main Street
Jacksonville, IL 62650
217-243-5846

The Jerseyville Job Center (Calhoun, Greene, and Jersey counties)
301 W. Exchange Street
Jerseyville, IL 62052
618-498-1778

The Litchfield Job Center (Montgomery County)
502 Edwards Street
Litchfield, IL 62056
217-324-2138

Meeting the needs of local governments, local businesses and local job seekers is the mission of WCDC.