County did nothing to help job situation
The average Warren County citizen has two comments about county government: 1) don?t raise my taxes, and 2) bring jobs to this community.
It?s an unfortunate predicament that in order to achieve the goal of recruiting jobs, it also requires funding. To attract jobs, it?s necessary to spend money. That means the ideals of not raising taxes, while also providing jobs, are often left butting heads.
If we?re not willing to fund industrial recruitment (like Warren County commissioners), then there won?t be an abundance of industrial jobs (like Warren County residents fully realize).
First and foremost, county commissioners should be applauded for their commitment to keep our local tax burden as low as possible. By keeping the tax rate unchanged at $2.31, our commissioners are trying to help local residents make financial ends meet.
As most commissioners have stressed in recent months, now is not a good time to raise taxes. People are struggling. People are without jobs. Families are fighting to pay their bills and traveling out of town for work.
However, that?s exactly the reason Warren County must fully fund our Industrial Development Board, our extension of government that recruits industry. It?s nothing short of a travesty for commissioners to slash IDB funding from a proposed $480,000 to $144,375 ? just barely enough to cover operating costs.
When it comes to industrial recruiting, Warren County has a rich history of getting exactly what it pays for. Over the past 18 years, our county has devoted very little money to industrial recruiting. It?s not a priority.
Surprise ? we?ve gotten exactly what we?ve paid for as no major industries have located in this community for nearly two decades.
It?s reassuring our elected officials want to conserve tax dollars. They no doubt believe they are trying to do what?s best for this community. In this case, however, they are showing a great lack of vision and are keeping Warren County stuck in an economic rut we can?t escape.
Recruiting a major employer is painfully difficult. We?re competing against such growing cities as Cookeville and Murfreesboro ? and that?s just in our own backyard. Further down the road there is Nashville and Knoxville ? and that?s just in our own state.
There are literally thousands of cities, in the United States and in other countries, where major manufacturers can locate. To beat out the competition, Warren County has to shine, and quite honestly we don?t.
Land in our industrial park is overgrown and undeveloped. There?s not even a road to some available property.
In other communities, there are paved roads with curbs, and spec buildings that are just waiting for tenants. Water and sewer lines are ready to go. That is what industries crave.
We live in a society of instant gratification. We want to reach people immediately on their cellphones. We want to cook food in seconds in the microwave. We don?t wait to buy something until we save up the money. We put it on a credit card and buy it on the spot.
Life in the industrial development world is no different. When companies come to Warren County and see we are woefully under prepared, they simply go somewhere else.
Warren County hasn?t made a serious commitment to industrial recruiting in years and it shows. Our track record is terrible.
We owe our commissioners a great deal of thanks for fighting to keep our property taxes low, but they have gone too far. By not properly funding industrial recruiting, they have hurt this county more than they have helped it.
For all the county commissioners who ran on the platform of bringing jobs to Warren County, they sure have a funny way of showing it. All but eliminating Industrial Development Board funding is not the way to attract industry.