The tax incentive agreement county entities signed with Duke Energy Thursday is the first step in bringing a new employer to Lawrence County.

Sunday, September 02, 2001

The tax incentive agreement county entities signed with Duke Energy Thursday is the first step in bringing a new employer to Lawrence County.

The county, Hamilton Township and the Rock Hill School District all agreed to the terms of the agreement which will pay these entities a collective $14 million over the next 10 years in lieu of the power company having to pay taxes in that time frame.

The deal is good for all parties involved. Duke took another step toward building its proposed $550-million power plant in Hamilton Township. The company still needs to get the green light from the Ohio Power Sitting Board and the Ohio EPA before proceeding with the project, though.

Meanwhile, the county, township and school district will still have a source of revenue even though Duke won’t be paying property taxes for the next 10 years. In Rock Hill’s case, the district will be abe to pay off the bond levy being used to pay for new school construction.

And, perhaps most importantly, the new power plant means much-needed jobs for the county.