Council pledges funds to lure manufacturer

RUSSELLVILLE - Members of the city council joined several city and county governments Monday by pledging funding to help lure a major manufacturer to neighboring Marion County.

The council voted to give $120,000 over 10 years that would be used as part of an economic incentive package if a major manufacturer chooses to locate in Guin.

Franklin County Development Authority Executive Director Mitch Mays said he could not publicly discuss many aspects of the potential project because of the sensitivity of negotiations, but said the proposed project "would have a significant impact on the region."

"It would be comparable to what just landed in the Shoals," Mays told council members Monday.

"We are standing at the edge of unprecedented growth in the region. If this project comes about, it would have a significant impact on northwest Alabama."

Seven counties and several municipalities in west Alabama have pledged to take part in what is being called a cooperative district.

Each governing body has pledged a certain amount of money that would be used as incentives if the plant chooses to locate in Guin. The TimesDaily has learned that the site is one of two finalists for the plant and could potentially have as many as 2,500 to 3,000 employees over time.

If the company chooses to locate outside of Alabama, then the local bodies will not be responsible for any of the money they pledged.

The Franklin County Commission voted to give $100,000 to the project. The company would have to meet a certain level of employees before it received the incentives.

Franklin County Commissioner Jackie Bradford said satellite plants could land in Franklin County as a result of the Marion County project.

"I am sure there would be a lot of people from Franklin County working there and coming back here to spend tax dollars, so I think it's something we should support," Bradford said.

Russellville Councilman Craig Grissom has sat in on meetings concerning the project and said the city needs to be behind it.

"It's pretty big employment numbers and good salaries that they are talking about," Grissom said.

Red Bay council members voted last week to pledge $50,000 to the project.

The city of Haleyville and Winston County have also pledged $250,000 each.

"We believe in this," said Haleyville Mayor Larry Albright. "It would help Haleyville just the same as if it were locating here. If you put this on top of the new plant in Colbert County and the Toyota plant in Tupelo, northwest Alabama would never be the same."

Guin, Hamilton and Winfield, as well as Marion County, have all pledged $1 million or more to the cooperative district for economic incentives.

The district also has pledges from the city of Jasper, and Walker, Fayette, Lamar and Pickens counties.

"It would just be unbelievable for this entire area," Albright said.

Jonathan Willis can be reached at 332-0140 or jonathan.willis@timesdaily.com.