It may have been a sparse agenda for Christian Fiscal Court Tuesday’s meeting, but it wasn’t an empty meeting, as magistrates heard a thorough update from the South Western Kentucky Economic Development Council.
Executive Director Carter Hendricks gave a detailed summary of what industries have decided to make this region, including Christian, Todd and Trigg Counties, home, from newer announcements such as Kitchen Food Company to expansions of existing industries, such as Novelis in Guthrie, and ongoing projects, including Ascend Elements.
Hendricks says folks in the community are rightfully concerned about what’s happening at the Apex 1 facility site in Commerce Park II, but he says the EDC remains cautiously hopeful that construction will start up again towards the start of the New Year, and then ramp up rapidly.
When its complete, that project will represent a $1.3 billion investment in the community and create roughly 400 jobs for the region. Hendricks says that type of investment could result in a huge economic boom, not just for Christian County, but surrounding ones.
He says roughly 15 percent of Novelis’ workforce is made up Christian County residents, so you could see how similar could happen at Ascend Elements and other industries, affecting individuals outside of this county.
Hendricks gave an overview on local property taxes and commended Christian Fiscal Court on their efforts to lower taxes while making the country attractive to other industries.
The Property Valuation Administration conducts new property value assessments on different portions of the county every year, so not every property is affected each year. That said, since 2013, the combined property value of Christian County has grown by approximately $2 billion.
Looking towards the future, Hendricks says the EDC remains focused on not just bringing more jobs and industries to the region, but also on keeping incoming developments industry diverse. He says by making sure there’s more one type of industry locally, it creates better overall resiliency in the event of a recession, or similar.
Addressing the housing shortage was also high on the priority list, as Hendricks says industries are reluctant to settle in an area that has no where to house their employees.
Magistrates approved some personnel matters and heard from another citizen that was against the demolition of the former Treasurer’s Office on Weber Street.