Great Falls puts up $1.7 million to attract jobs

Great Falls city commissioners don’t just talk the talk about luring jobs to the city. They walk the walk, too.

At their meeting Wednesday night, they spent $1.7 million on incentives for development of the Agri-Business Park and approved a formal policy to back it up. The policy outlines what the city is willing to do to boost economic development, under what circumstances and for whom.

By PAULA WILMOT
Tribune Staff Writer

http://www.greatfallstribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20041104/NEWS01/411040315/1002

Commissioners unanimously approved the low bid of Cop Construction of Billings for the second phase of a sewer main to the Agri-Business Park. Cop’s $1,373,525 bid was $726,475 below the engineer’s estimate of $2.1 million.

The city agreed to build the sewer main as an incentive for development of the ag park, site of the International Malting Co.’s malting plant.

The sewer main extension starts on the east side of the 10th Street Bridge and proceeds more than 2.8 miles northeast through an area outside the city limits and ends at the future site of the Agri-Business Park lift station.

Bids on equipment packages for the ag park’s sewage lift station also came in below the engineer’s estimates.

City commissioners agreed to buy lift station equipment from Dakota Pump Inc. at $265,730 and a generator from North West Power Systems for $62,471. The engineer’s estimates were $300,000 and $100,000 respectively.

The incentives policy was introduced at the last commission meeting and was subsequently modified to include a resident’s suggestions.

The revised six-point policy covers assistance that the city will offer to lure projects that bring new long-term primary jobs and new money into the community.

To qualify for incentives, a project has to commit to a minimum number of permanent jobs at defined pay scales. Incentives will be offered as part of a package including other government agencies. Offers of incentives will depend on the availability of money.

"Obviously, the city can’t do this for every project, City Manager John Lawton said. "This outlines the criteria with which we will consider incentives."

Commissioners also approved a $395,717 capital contribution to Southern Montana Electric Generation and Transmission to bring the city’s contributions to the co-op on par with the other members. Each member’s contribution is based on its relative share of the total anticipated load served by SME G&T. The new contribution brings the city’s total to $514.997.

Lawton said SME G&T will use the money for preliminary efforts to build a coal-fired electricity generating plant in the area.

Another electricity-related issue at Wednesday’s meeting resulted in authorization of a $15,000 payment to the Montana Public Power Authority in pursuit of the Montana energy transmission and distribution systems of NorthWestern Corp.

The payment brings to $50,000 the city’s contribution to MPPA, along with four other Montana communities, Bozeman, Helena, Missoula and Butte-Silverbow.

Plans to spend a $24,620 grant from the Bureau of Justice Assistance program to expand the police department’s computer-aided dispatch system also was approved. The city is providing $2,462 in matching funds.

All together, the votes add up to expenditure of $2.1 million.

Wilmot can be reached by e-mail at [email protected], or by phone at (406) 791-6594 or (800) 438-6600.