Commission approves jobs grant incentive for SmartWiz software company

The Jefferson County Commission approved a one-time jobs grant incentive for SmartWiz, a company that provides software allowing individuals to prepare taxes for others. The incentive program requires that jobs be created and maintained for at least one year before the county will pay the grant. County staff and the company’s attorney, Brandon James, described SmartWiz as software similar to consumer tax-preparation products but structured to allow individuals to file directly with the IRS on behalf of others when approved. Commissioners asked how the incentive works for a company that provides tax-preparation software rather than a traditional employer-driven hiring model. Staff said the county’s jobs-grant framework requires verification that new positions have been created and retained for one year; after staff certification, the county issues the one-time payment tied to the number of qualifying positions. Staff also noted typical projects considered for incentives are those creating substantial new employment; one staff member said the county typically looks for projects that create about 50 new jobs, though smaller projects have been approved in the last year. The commission asked staff to provide past examples and district breakdowns of recent job-incentive awards for reference. The transcript records approval by voice vote; no detailed mover/second or roll-call tally was shown on the record.