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Wednesday, Jun. 17, 2009

Houston Development Authority elects officers, discusses opportunity zones

WARNER ROBINS – The Houston County Development Authority elected its officers for the coming year on Wednesday and heard a presentation about a possible opportunity zone for the county.

Neal Talton was elected chairman and Shaw Blackmon vice chairman for 2009-2010. They assume their duties in July.

Guy Starling was re-elected secretary-treasurer, and Mark Byrd assistant secretary-treasurer. The slate of officers was adopted unanimously.

This will be Talton’s second stint as chairman. The Houston County dairy farmer, who has been on the authority since 1995, also was chairman in 2002-03.

He replaces Neal Rearden, who has been chairman the last three years.

Members are appointed to the authority by the Houston County Commission for six-year terms, but they elect their own officers each year.

Nick Kouloungis, of the Middle Georgia Regional Development Center that’s working with the authority to identify possible opportunity zone areas, updated the members on that work.

Opportunity zones are areas in need of redevelopment that would be suitable for commercial or industrial growth. If designated as an opportunity zone, businesses that locate there are eligible for tax breaks from the state.

The program is administered by the Georgia Department of Community Affairs.

To qualify, areas must be located in or adjacent to census blocks that have 15 percent or more of their residents at or below the poverty level. That makes most of Warner Robins and nearly all of the southern half of the county eligible.

But Koulongis pointed out that to be approved by the DCA, the area must also include blighted areas that need to be redeveloped.

“The county then would have to come up with a urban redevelopment plan for the area and submit it to the DCA for approval to obtain opportunity zone designation and the tax credits,” Koulongis said.

For more on this story, return to macon.com and read Thursday’s Telegraph.