News

ALLIANCE STILL STUMPING FOR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT TAX

By Amy Riggin/ OF THE COMMERCIAL STAFF
Thursday, March 19, 2009 3:50 PM CDT

Local business leaders are not giving up on passing an economic development sales tax, Lou Ann Nisbett, president and chief executive officer of The Economic Development Alliance of Jefferson County, said Wednesday.

“We did not have the success we’d hoped for on Dec. 9, 2008,” said Nisbett, who gave an update on various projects during The Alliance’s annual meeting Wednesday at the Pine Bluff Country Club. “What we did have was a good plan, an honest campaign and hard-working supporters.”

Nisbett said it took the city of Little Rock four elections before successful passage of a tax to develop its port.

“Now they have over 50 industries, five new industries and almost 5,000 jobs because they did not give up,” she said. “We will try again and to all of you who spent time, energy and hope on this campaign: Thank you and please don’t give up because we are not giving up.”

Jefferson County voters turned down a half-cent sales tax for economic development and work force training last year, with 43 percent supporting the measure.

In her 2 1/2 years leading The Alliance, Nisbett said she has received 160 inquiries from companies potentially interested in locating here and 69 actual site visits.

“Our greatest need to be competitive is to have local incentive funds,” she said. “We keep making it on the short list but lose to other areas with incentives. These funds are for job creation, workforce development and infrastructure.”

Nisbett also noted that more than 300 acres are available for industry expansion in the Jefferson Industrial Park, where the U.S. Sugar Co. Inc. of Buffalo, N.Y., is expected to open in the former Rolling Pin Donut Manufacturing Co. facility by late summer.

The Arkansas River Regional Intermodal Facilities Authority, led by Ford Trotter, is studying methods to protect the Sparta Aquifer. Nisbett said the authority had received $4 million in state funding and engineering is underway on the water conservation project.

Close to 200 were present at Wednesday’s meeting where several local business leaders were honored for their service: