County competing in industry

Wilson County officials hope to attract new industries to the county through industrial sites.

As of July 2010, officials had conceptual plans for two industrial sites totaling $40 million, according to the report, “Building Tennessee’s Tomorrow: Anticipating the State’s Infrastructure Needs,” from the Tennessee Advisory Committee on Intergovernmental Relations.

To be included in the inventory, infrastructure projects must not be considered normal maintenance and must involve a capital cost of at least $50,000.

“[Industrial parks] do so much in that they give our citizens opportunities for jobs locally, so they don’t have to leave their county or their city,” said Wilson County Mayor Randall Hutto. “Everything can be done right there in their hometown.”

Industrial sites such as the Maddox-Simpson site offer job creation, increased tax base and an overall economic boost to the community.

“It’s great for an economic boom,” said Hutto.

While funding methods for the development of industrial sites can vary widely, sites within Wilson County traditionally have been developed by private interests with some contribution from city and county governments or economic development agencies such as the Joint Economic and Community Development Board of Wilson County, according to Tom Brashear of the Wilson County planning department.

“There have been situations where the community is the developer and that community has gotten some help from the state of Tennessee,” said Brashear.

Another scenario involves the local government actually purchasing the land and developing it to later sell back to industry as an incentive to bring in industry. Brashear cited Murfreesboro’s Medical Center Parkway area as an approximate example.

“This can give you a leg up on the competitors,” said Brashear. “You have to weigh that against the cost.”