It’s the number one priority of all communities: economic development. It’s the goal of bringing jobs and revenue into a community.
Jackson Township officials see economic development as a must.
“Our goal of economic development is motivated by two things - one to protect our borders and increase the tax base so we can provide the services our residents have come to expect,” said John Pizzino, Jackson Township chairman of the board of trustees
Economic development is not a new goal to Jackson officials.
“For more than 20 years we’ve worked with other governmental entities through LOGIC and other organizations,” said Pizzino.
Tied up in court right now is an agreement between the city of Canton and Jackson Township.
Again, the goal is to bring in revenue and protect Jackson Township's borders.
“Both communities would benefit from the agreement,” said Pizzino.
The proposed agreement includes a Cooperative Economic Development Agreement (CEDA) which allows Canton to annex the railroad tracks but Jackson Township retains the property, meaning the township keeps the taxes it would have collected on the property with the exception of any new taxing through the agreement. Jackson would also agree to provide road, police and fire protection to the area.
“It only makes sense,” said James Walter, a trustee.
Included in the agreement is provision for Joint Economic Development Districts (JEDD) in which both Canton and Jackson can market the property to attract businesses to the area. Both entities share the revenue income.
“We initially thought this would be a good agreement between us and North Canton,” said Walter of the railroad from Mt. Pleasant to Whipple. “But it’s tied up in court. They wanted to annex.”
“The bottom line was, North Canton didn't think it was in their best interest,” said Pizzino.
Instead, the township opted for a cooperative agreement with Canton.
“Cities and villages can take advantage of grants and assistance that a township can not receive,” said Pizzino. “By partnering with a city like Canton, we bring those advantages to the township.”
Walters said some residents are afraid city taxes would apply to their properties. “No, it only applies to the JEDD areas,” said Walters. “We can’t stress enough, new taxes are between the entities and any new businesses that come in - not the residents of Jackson Township.”
“We can't be property-tax dependent,” said Pizzino. “That’s why we need to be proactive in our economic development.”
Fiscal Officer Randy Gonzalez said over a two- year period the township will have $2 million less in income, due to the 2007-2009 economy.
In September, Rolls Royce announced expansion of their fuel cell development in Jackson Township.
Charles Coltman, the chairman of the Rolls-Royce Fuel Cell center for Rolls-Royce Fuel Cell Systems, said, “By the end of the year, Jackson Township is going to be the primary center for Rolls-Royce Fuel Cell Systems. The global headquarters will be here.”
Rolls-Royce said it will invest $3 million in processing and testing equipment.
“Those are the kind of jobs we need to attract,” said Gonzalez. “We need to attract good-paying jobs.”
While attracting jobs, township officials acknowledge the tremendous growth experienced in the retail sector in Jackson.
“We know there are empty box stores,” said Gonzalez. “Akron reinvented itself from the rubber capital of the world to the polymer capital. We’re the retail capital. We're looking for alternative revenue sources, but we're also looking at ways to save our stores.”
“When we talk about economic development, we’re not talking about expanding our government,” said Pizzino. “We want to take the revenue generated from new jobs and put them back into the safety services and our parks and the things that attracted residents to Jackson in the first place.”
“Our department heads are second to none,” said Pizzino of Jackson's roads, police, fire and parks departments. “We’ve taken cost savings measures. The township hasn't asked for new levies. We haven't raised taxes. We're debt-free. You can't say that about other townships.”
“Jackson Township has upwards of 2300 to 2400 businesses,” said Pizzino. “Our goal is to maintain and attract new businesses, protect our boundaries and give residents the services they have come to expect.”
