Bay County MI : Barcia, county officials work to promote Bay County job growth

Press Release - For Immediate Release

BAY CITY, Mich., January 12, 2017 - Bay County Executive Jim Barcia has a goal to increase theamount of jobs in Bay County, and that goal recently moved forward when MonitorTownship and Bay County reached an agreement to extend the Monitor TownshipDowntown Development Authority for another 10 years.

'Maintaining the Monitor Township DDA was a top priority - the county needs toretain as well as increase the amount of well-paying jobs with good benefitswhich will allow our younger generations to stay in the county, buy homes andraise families here,' Barcia said.

The DDA is credited with bringing more than 1,400 jobs toBay County by developing the Valley Center Technology Park, Industrial Park andTech Plaza at US-10 and Mackinaw Road in Monitor Township.

Bill Bartlett, chairman of the Monitor Township DDA for 20years, said he's very pleased with the outcome of the agreement. 'I'mcertainly happy we've reached this agreement with the county to extend the DDAand keep it alive so the structure is in place there for the next big project,'Bartlett said.

'Conservatively, the payroll is $50 million every year -that money rolls out of the park and buys cars, buys houses, and puts kids inschool. Those are the exciting things,' said Bartlett. 'Right now the parkhouses more than 1,400 jobs. It's an economic engine.'

The Monitor Township Board of Trustees and the Bay CountyBoard of Commissioners each met in November to vote on whether or not to sunsetthe DDA by the end of last year. Both boards voted to approve the new 10-yearagreement.

With the DDA in danger of dissolving, the 30 business ownersin the DDA's district voluntarily agreed to a special assessment of 2 mills onthe winter tax roll to keep the DDA alive, which means no loss of revenue orcost to the county and all other taxing entities.

The new agreement will allow hundreds of thousands ofdollars in tax revenue each year to flow back into Bay County. The DDA willmaintain a small operating fund and capture tax funds only when there is adevelopment project agreed upon by the DDA, the township and the county.

Assisting to facilitate the new agreement to retain theresources of the DDA marks the first step for Barcia leading Bay County forwardin economic development.

'I give all the credit to the Board of Commissioners and theBoard of Trustees for seeing the value of it,' said Barcia.

'I'd be remiss if I didn't mention Commissioners Lutzand Duranczyk for putting together the meeting between myself, the board andthe township - that was where the first pieces of this agreement cametogether,' said Bartlett.

'This took getting the right people in the right room,'Bartlett said. 'Jim's win in the primary was the impetus to me for when thisall started, and his understanding of what it meant if we let the DDA dissolve.This is truly is a great partnership between business and government to makethings happen.'

'Many people worked very hard to reach this agreement andcontinue to move Bay County forward,' said Barcia. 'I offer my thanks andgratitude to DDA Chairman Bill Bartlett, to the members of the Bay County Boardof Commissioners, and to the new Monitor Township Supervisor Kenneth Malkin, aswell as former Supervisor Gary Brandt and Treasurer Sue Pike.'

'It'san ideal location,' Barcia said of the DDA district. 'With the DDA intact, newbusinesses considering moving to Bay County will have the resources andinfrastructure readily available to them. Job creation and increasing our taxbase is a top priority for Bay County.'