Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Sales Tax To Develop Industry

A one-cent sales tax primarily used for the defunct Nevada County Hospital will now be used to help attract business and industry.

In a town meeting Thursday, Feb. 6, the Prescott City Council met with members of the public to discuss how to best make use of these funds, about $350,000 annually.

The city residents originally passed the tax in 1988 to help keep the NCH afloat, and for other purposes. However, despite all efforts, the hospital closed.

All who attended the meeting were invited to speak and let their opinions be known. The consensus was to use the tax in a variety of ways.

According to a pie-chart Prescott Mayor Howard Taylor had worked up, the majority of the tax collected, $147,000, would be used to fund the Prescott-Nevada County Economic Development Office. This money will be used toward the purchase of land for an industrial park.

Another $28,000, Taylor said, will be spent toward education in upgrading the computer lab at Prescott Elementary School.

The Parks and Recreation Department is slated to receive $38,500, while another $21,000 will be used to improve city sidewalks.

Health Care will receive $49,000. This money, Taylor said, will be used to help recruit another doctor to the area and to help get an urgent care center located in Prescott as well.

The remainder of the funds will be used for city beautification projects.

Chandler Russ, executive director of the EDO, said the concept for economic development is you can't sell from an empty wagon.

"Prescott is at a good point, but needs to put something in the wagon. It's time to take a step forward and develop our industrial base."

Russ said Prescott is ideally located, with Interstate-30 nearby, and has rail access available for prospects as well, along with the water and sewer project along Ron Harrod Drive.

While good things are happening in the area, he said, Prescott still needs something to sell prospective industry.

According to Russ, PES students rank above average nationally in many areas, which is a drawing card to industry.

He said all areas mentioned by Taylor are necessary in attracting business and industry to an area, and by using the tax money to bolster them, Prescott can compete with other communities.

Hyacinth Deon, with the Prescott School District, said the possibilities for students are unlimited with the only limits being what they are offered in school.

Today's students, she said, need more than the three R's. They need to be able to think, solve problems, make decisions and develop information, but need access to computers and the information superhighway.

The elementary school computer lab is wired for the world wide web, but there are no funds to buy computers.

The question was raised asking why the school district doesn't buy the computers.

Jim Franks, president of the Prescott School Board, said 97 percent of the funds the district receives is spent before reaching Prescott.

State law, he said, dictates how districts can spend the funds they receive, and all government money comes with strings attached.

From the local level, Franks said, only 27 percent of the funds are from property taxes.

Start up costs, he added, are the hardest part for technological classes.

Howard Austin, PES principal, said the public doesn't realize how little money the district and board have control over, or to work with.

"We're educating children for other communities," he said. "There's nothing here for them."

Austin praised the council for its desire to spend the tax money to help education.

"If we're afraid to spend our money for the good of the community," he said, "we can't keep our children. We either go forward or stay put.

"This is a good plan. The tax is already in place and doesn't have to be added."

Prescott Superintendent Don Johnston said while there currently are computers in the PES lab, they came from the Prescott High School business labs. These computers, he said, had to be moved after the April 1 fire, and are not used by PES students.

Johnston said this money is needed desperately to help upgrade technology at PES, and while the $28,000 proposed won't complete the needs, it is a start.

George Odom spoke on the area of parks and recreation. He said the area is up to par and above average in the equipment it has for smaller children.

However, it is below the norm in equipment for older children and adults.

Odom said there is one playing field for teens, and adult programs must wait until the teen season is over before beginning its.

Another problem, he said, is many areas are not currently handicapped accessible. These areas must be upgraded to meet Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requirements.

Taylor discussed the sidewalk issue. He said it is hoped to construct new sidewalks along Olive Street from the railroad tracks to PHS.

At this time there are no sidewalks in the area and children must walk in the street as they go to school. "It's a dangerous situation," he said.

Chad Cornelius, owner of the Nevada County Ambulance Service, reminded all present one of the first things a new business or industry looks at when considering a move is health care.

He said Prescott needs an urgent care center.