Lawmakers from across the state are set to return to Nashville for the upcoming special session, aimed to pass incentives for a new Ford development.
Governor Bill Lee called the special session, which will begin on October 18, last month and is urging the legislators to approve nearly $500 million in incentives.
The decision by the automobile manufacturer will invest a total of $5.6 billion in the area, as the group builds a 3,600-acre campus called Blue Oval City. Additionally, the investment will bring approximately 5,800 new jobs in West Tennessee, according to the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development.
Former House Speaker Beth Harwell acknowledged that she believed some lawmakers may view the incentives as “welfare” to the company.
“Well, I think some members feel strongly that this is labeled corporate welfare that we’re picking winners and losers in the private sector, and is this really fair for the existing companies we don’t give these special privileges to,” she told WKRN.
However, the former state lawmaker also described that the investment will bring jobs and attention to an area that has been “ignored.”
“This is a part of our state that has been underdeveloped, they will say they’ve been ignored,” Harwell continued. “They’ve been trying for some time to develop a workforce and have something that will bring jobs and money and revenue into those rural counties.”
“Again, some taxpayers simply don’t like these types of things, and I understand their concerns, but if we’re going to do it as a state we better make sure that the taxpayers get everything we have promised them.”
In connection with the new plant, the state of Tennessee will develop a new Tennessee College of Applied Technology (TCAT) in partnership with the site, which will be located at the Memphis Regional Megasite and will provide students with education and training designed in conjunction with Ford.
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Cooper Moran is a reporter for The Star News Network. Follow Cooper on Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
