OPINION: Barrow needs to focus on industrial growth

A lower tax digest means less property tax revenue, unless county officials raise the millage rate (which they plan to do this fall.) But there’s a more fundamental problem in Barrow County’s tax digest that will require a much longer-term solution than raising taxes. Somehow, Barrow will have to find a way to balance its tax digest with less reliance on residential property and more commercial and industrial.

It’s no secret that Barrow needs more industry in its tax base. Local officials have been saying that for years.

Nearly one-half of Barrow’s tax digest is residential property while only 23 percent is commercial or industrial. And with the residential, Barrow has created a slew of special local exemptions that bring the digest even lower.

In addition, and unlike many other counties, Barrow offers tax breaks to companies even if those firms build a shell building and offer no immediate employment. Such liberal incentives are ill-advised and unnecessary.

In addition, Barrow has never really exploited its connection to I-85 focusing more on Hwy. 316 as its main development corridor. While there is much more road frontage along Hwy. 316 than I-85 in Barrow, the interstate holds a lot more promise for industrial development in the long-term.

Although some think Barrow should relax housing standards to help start the construction industry, that’s a very short-sighted view. As this recession has shown, it’s a mistake for any community to base its economy mainly on construction and housing.

In the long term, Barrow should focus its future on increasing manufacturing jobs with industrial development and to rein in excessive housing as its economic base.

That will take a long time and certainly won’t solve today’s county budget problems. But if Barrow wants to plan for the future, it’s that road its leaders must follow.