City plan offers townships riches

YOUNGSTOWN — A draft of an ambitious economic development plan by Youngstown to use its water system to charge income tax to workers in Boardman and Austintown contends great riches could be had for all involved.

Over a 20-year period, $439 million would go to the city and two townships, according to a 50-page draft proposal by The PRM Group of Cleveland.

If deals are fully implemented with the two townships, the study states there are 500 acres of new business development in Austintown and 250 acres of new and redeveloped land in Boardman.

With those 750 acres would come 3,750 new jobs and an annual payroll of $170 million by the year 2027, the draft states.

But the report gives no specifics on the new business locations, the types of jobs or how the positions would be created except to state it “could occur through a regional approach to promoting economic development.”

City officials declined to turn over the draft report, but a copy was obtained by The Vindicator.

The report calls for workers at every business in the two townships who get Youngstown water to be assessed a 2-percent city income tax. The townships could also assess their own 0.25-percent income tax on those same residents.

If the townships used that income tax for economic development, the city would agree to match that dollar amount. PRM estimates that matching amount to be $11,250,000 over 20 years.

For the complete story, see Sunday’s Vindicator and Vindy.com.