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Prairie Township schedules JEDZ hearing
(by Sean Lehosit, Westside Editor - June 16, 2011)
Prairie Township moved one step closer to establishing a Joint Economic Development Zone (JEDZ) by scheduling a public hearing for July 27.
Residents will have the opportunity to weigh in and express their thoughts about the new business tax.
According to Township Administrator Tracy Hatmaker, revenue collected from the JEDZ will be used to fund various projects such as road improvements and also offset the financial burden on property taxpayers.
“The Joint Economic Development Zone is an ongoing project the township has been working on, in terms of bringing a revenue stream from the West Broad corridor,” Hatmaker said.
The JEDZ allows the township to establish an income tax for businesses in the zone, unlike the similar Joint Economic Development District (JEDD). Under a JEDD, a business or landowner petitions to be included in the district.
Hatmaker said the JEDZ works better for their purpose of replacing lost revenue and allows them to look at the corridor as a whole. He added that, since businesses benefit from the township’s improvements on infrastructure and services, they have a responsibility to contribute to the services just as taxpayers do.
“That’s how townships get their revenue,” Hatmaker said.
Rash of thefts
According to Sheriff Deputy Wyatt J. Boley, there have been multiple non-forced car burglaries in the Murnan Road, Kunz Road, and Kuhlwein Road areas.
“For two consecutive nights, they were hitting multiple cars and the common factor was they were not using force to get into the cars,” Boley said. “The car doors were unlocked and there were visible items, high value dollar items.”
The Sheriff’s Office suspects the perpetrator canvassed the areas, checking every car to see which were unlocked and occupied by valuables.
“Keep your eyes open,” Boley said.
Reportedly, none of the vehicles burglarized were damaged due to unlocked doors or open windows. Items such as GPS navigators, electronic media, and loose change were reported stolen.
Hometown Inn update
Township officials held a pre-construction meeting June 13 with the sub-contractor charged with the demolition of Hometown Inn.
According to Trustee Steve Kennedy, the township learned they must leave public notifications for the demolition 10 days prior to tearing down the property. Therefore, the start date was postponed to July.
“Demolition is supposed to start July 5,” Kennedy said.
The sub-contractor has three weeks to complete the demolition of the property, once demolition begins.
Kennedy said Phase III of the South Grener Road project should be in full swing with roadwork by Aug. 1 and the entire project is scheduled to be completed no later than Oct. 31.
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