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KEDA asks Henry County for larger annual investment, citing corridor projects and tax‑impact modeling
Summary
Jessica, representing the regional economic development alliance, asked the Henry County Fiscal Court to raise annual county support for KEDA from $8,000 to $15,000, citing broker engagement, site visits and tax‑impact modeling for a Campbellsburg project showing potential annual local tax revenues from about $1.18 million to over $2.3 million.
Jessica, a KEDA representative, asked the Henry County Fiscal Court to increase the county’s annual investment in the economic development alliance from $8,000 to $15,000 to support continued business attraction, site readiness and grant work across the I‑71 corridor.
Jessica summarized a year of activity: building relationships with brokers, site selectors, developers, utilities and state leaders; bringing those partners into Henry County to review sites; and facilitating regional conversations and forums. She said that approach helped create momentum for projects such as the Campbellsburg opportunity.
Jessica cited tax‑impact modeling presented to the court: ‘‘even at the lowest projected value, that kind of strategic development could represent $1,180,000 annually across local taxing districts to include approximately 717,000 annually just for our schools. And at the higher projected levels, that number grows to more than 2,300,000 annually.’’ She added the requested increase ‘‘is not about growing our overhead’’ but enabling KEDA to pursue grants, strengthen site readiness and advocate for Henry County.
Magistrates and other participants responded positively. One magistrate said Jessica ‘‘has gone above and beyond’’ in helping attract development, and another noted KEDA’s regional partnerships and staff support. A different magistrate raised past concerns about promises from outside partners, prompting a short exchange about recent regional partners’ performance; meeting participants voiced both skepticism and support. The chair said the judges are in agreement with the approach and will consider the request during the budget process.
Why it matters: the request would roughly double the county’s direct operating support for the county’s regional economic development effort, and the court will decide whether to include the increase in the coming budget year.
What’s next: the fiscal court indicated the funding request will be considered during budget deliberations; no final appropriation was made at this meeting.
