County leaders have begun pushing the extension of the ½-cent economic development tax, which has played a major role in bringing in industries and good-paying jobs to Mississippi County.
The numbers are quite staggering.
According to Mississippi County economic developer Clif Chitwood, since its passage in 2003, the tax has helped create 4,100 jobs —with 3,600 still in existence today — and an annual payroll of $130 million.
He said the county investment in job creation is about $40 million and federal and state investment in those same projects is around $300 million.
“Jobs created by the same projects is $2 billion,” Chitwood said recently. “That’s a rate of return on county investment of 5,000 percent.”
The 10-year tax, which was last extended in 2013, generates roughly $3.3 million per year for land purchases, infrastructure, employee training and wage reimbursements for new employees that live in the county or Missouri Bootheel.
Despite the tremendous success in job creation, the elephant in the room remains the continuing decline in population.
There are no easy answers; it’s a problem that has plagued this area since the Eaker Air Force Base closed 29 years ago.
Each of the last six Census counts has shown population loss.
The current number of residents is half what it was in 1950 — an estimated 40,651 now versus 82,375 then.
In 1990, the county’s population was 57,525, and then it dipped to 51,979 in 2000 and to 46,651 in 2010.
The 2020 results are expected to be released by April 30, so we should know then how accurate the 2019 estimate of 40,651 is.
Regardless of what the final number is, the population issue must be addressed or we’ll continue to spin our wheels and keep providing jobs for residents of Jonesboro, Paragould, Dyersburg, etc.
Studies have found the county is a food desert and lacks retail opportunities that attract new residents and has led to retail leakage as citizens spend their hard-earned dollars out of town.
County leaders have an opportunity to address those issues if they can/will word the tax extension in such way to include offering incentives for retail and restaurants.
Those types of companies provide jobs as well, along with improving the quality of life.
Of course it’s necessary to continue luring new industry with incentives that give the county a competitive advantage and continue capitalizing on the river, rail and interstate access. That is the top priority.
But to grow the county, there must be a concerted effort to bring in retail.
Quality housing has been an issue for years, though there are signs it is improving, with new homes going up in Manila and a $22 million plan for a townhouse/apartment complex just north of Walmart in Blytheville.
The Greater Blytheville Chamber of Commerce has also begun “Rebuild, Restore, Renew,” which replaces dilapidated structures with nice new homes. There are plenty of good things happening here, from the major renovations to the Blytheville and Osceola courthouses and the transformation of the Armory to a much needed new Blytheville Police Department, to the future National Cold War Center at Eaker Air Force Base, which is expected to be a major tourism draw. Arkansas Northeastern College is consistently ranked as one of the top community colleges in the state and under the direction of Dr. James Shemwell has been innovative with its workforce training program. By the way, one would be hard-pressed to find a better nursing program than the one offered by ANC or graduates making a higher starting pay.
The county’s largest town, Blytheville, has one of the best youth baseball/softball complexes in the state, a new state-of-the-art basketball arena and a golf course that has hosted professional events.
Big Lake in Manila offers recreational opportunities for those who enjoy outdoor activities like fishing and hunting.
The town of Wilson has been rejuvenated by millionaire Gaylon Lawrence.
I could go on and on with opportunities here.
What’s lacking is retail and restaurants, which is one of the reasons the county isn’t seeing growth in population.Of course there are other challenging issues, such as crime, though steps have been taken to improve the crime rate, i.e., the addition of SkyCop cameras, tearing down dilapidated structures, fully-staffed police departments — notwithstanding Wednesday’s homicide on Walls Street.
I’m not suggesting adding retail and restaurants is the be-all and end-all, but it would play a major role in bringing in new residents.
And offering incentives to those types of businesses would likely be effective as it has been with industrial recruitment.
Adding jobs is wonderful, but we need a local workforce to fill them.