Greene County leaders firmly believe that county government should play both an active and a supporting role in economic development, within our community and the southwest Missouri region. Greene County routinely cooperates with other cities and counties, as well as state and federal agencies, in a variety of efforts that benefit area businesses, maintain and improve infrastructure and protect the community's quality of life.
Infrastructure
Road and highway construction projects directly impact economic development in our community, not only by providing road construction jobs, but also by improving access to viable commercial and industrial properties. There are many opportunities for government and business entities to work together to meet these infrastructure needs.
For example, Greene County partnered with the city of Springfield, City Utilities and the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce for street and storm-water drainage improvements in Springfield's Partnership Industrial Center West, where new businesses have provided 1,000 jobs to the community. Development work on PIC West continues in 2009.
Another collaboration to bring new jobs to the community was the development of the T-Mobile site in northwest Springfield. Greene County provided $150,000 for a new traffic signal at the site's main entrance.
Greene County often partners with the city of Springfield and Missouri Department of Transportation on larger road projects, such as recent interchange improvements at Glenstone Avenue and James River Expressway. Other important collaborative projects in progress this year are widening Glenstone from Interstate 44 to Valley Water Mill Road, intersection improvements at Valley Water Mill and completion of the Blackman Road widening.
To assist future development along U.S. Highway 60 between Springfield and Rogersville, Greene County and the city of Springfield are acquiring right-of-way for a future limited access interchange at the Highway NN and J intersection. The county also is partnering with MoDOT and the city of Willard for intersection improvements at U.S. Highway 160 and Jackson Street in Willard, and providing road improvements to assist economic development of the McLane Co. project in Republic.
Environment
While very important, transportation infrastructure is only one aspect of making the community attractive for businesses. Though the region's clean air and water are sometimes taken for granted, the high quality of these resources gives the region an advantage through lowered costs of compliance and livability.
Greene County recently joined the Ozarks Clean Air Alliance to remain ahead of the curve on ground-level ozone attainment. Through the Watershed Committee of the Ozarks and the James River Basin Partnership, the county and other governmental entities can work together to help protect water resources.
Working with Congressman Roy Blunt, Greene County secured a federal grant of $250,000 to study groundwater levels to make sure that we plan for future water supply needs. City Utilities, the Missouri Department of Natural Resources and several surrounding cities and counties have also contributed funds to the study, which will be completed this year.
Amenities
Beyond infrastructure and environmental quality, this region also boasts low crime rates, low taxes and excellent recreational facilities. Part of this may be because Greene County is the only county in Missouri to share county sales taxes revenue with cities. Portions of the county's law enforcement sales tax and parks sales taxes are distributed to all cities in the county, providing law enforcement and recreation opportunities. In 2007, residents ensured continued emergency dispatch service throughout the county with a 911 sales tax.
Perhaps the best example of successful community collaboration is Springfield's new State Highway Patrol Crime Lab, which opened in December. This facility is a model of interagency cooperation, with funding provided by the federal, state and local governments, as well as area banks.
The crime lab is a tremendous asset to cities and counties in our community as well as the rest of the state, significantly reducing the turnaround time for toxicology, ballistics and DNA analysis needed for crime scene evidence. This helps bring crime cases to trial faster, reducing the cost of housing prisoners awaiting trial and, more importantly, speeding justice for victims.
The power of collaboration is evident, not only for economic development, but also for a variety of projects that benefit the community. County leaders have learned that by seeking partners, working together and combining resources, we always get a bigger bang for our buck. Local residents expect nothing less.[[In-content Ad]]
Tim Smith is Greene County administrator. He may be reached at tsmith@greenecountymo.org.
