JDA TRACK RECORD 2006-2009* $1.07 million: Dalton and Whitfield County support for Joint Development Authority* 6: Number of new businesses or expansions the JDA has worked to secure* $112.1 million: New investment represented by those six businesses* 288: Jobs created by those businessesSource: Elyse CochranJDA 2010 BUDGET* $940,000: Income* 16.7 percent: Dalton contribution* 16.7 percent: Whitfield County contribution* 63.8 percent: Grow Greater Dalton (public/private partnership that raised about $6.1 million for economic development)* 3 percent: Bond administrationSources: Elyse Cochran, Chuck Dobbins
DALTON, Ga. - The Dalton-Whitfield Joint Development Authority hopes to attract at least 300 new jobs and $50 million in new investment this year.
JDA leaders outlined their 2010 goals to city and county officials Tuesday.
"We view our task in economic development as something that is of significant importance," said authority Chairman Chuck Dobbins, noting the number of city and county residents without jobs.
Recent figures from the Department of Labor show the area's unemployment rate is about 12.7 percent, the highest in the state's major metro areas.
Elyse Cochran, director for economic development for the authority, said it also will work to update a countywide incentive policy for recruiting new business, hire a coordinator to help establish an existing industry program and hire a coordinator to help launch a retail recruitment initiative.
City Councilman Charlie Bethel said he was pleased with the "aggressive goals."
"People don't have to be told that we need economic development and the easiest way to say that is, we need jobs," he said.
Ms. Cochran said that, since the JDA began in 2006, it's helped create about 288 new jobs.
In a phone interview after Tuesday's meeting, she said recruiting IVC U.S. Inc., a vinyl floor manufacturer based in Belgium, is the biggest success story so far. Company officials say they will create about 115 new jobs and open in 2011.
Whitfield County Commissioner Randy Waskul said community leaders started the JDA to help diversify the local economy beyond floorcovering.
"Being a single-industry community is dangerous," he said. "Especially if that industry has a downturn."
He said the return on investment to the JDA so far gives him confidence in moving forward on new projects, such as the county's announcement Tuesday night it will pay $5.25 million for 150 acres near the Carbondale Road interchange on Interstate 75 to create a business park.
Ms. Cochran said the JDA will promote that land to businesses, but also is pushing about 2 million to 3 million square feet of vacant commercial space in the county and private greenfield land that's for sale.
Right now, the county is working with about six prospective and existing businesses, she said.