LAURINBURG — On Thursday, Scotland County Economic Development Director Mark Ward spoke to the Optimist Club of Laurinburg about the millions invested in Scotland County over the past few years.
Since 2009 there has been $301,200,000 in investments in Scotland County, with 928 jobs added or kept in the county as a result. Some of those include Mountaire Farms feed plant, Edwards Wood Products, Cascades and FCC.
“Other things that people don’t realize is sales tax,” Ward said. “We are becoming a retail town. We’re not becoming Moore County and we won’t ever become Moore County, you’re in Scotland County because that’s where you want to be. But you do want some of those rewards from it.”
According to Ward, since the 2016-17 fiscal year, Scotland County sales tax has increased $1.3 million and, for the 2018-19 fiscal year, the county collected $15.3 million with $7.4 million going back into the county.
“About$1.5 million of that is restricted for education and $676,000 is restricted for economic development and education purposes,” Ward said. “Education purposes can be Richmond Community College to do job training, it could be the school system to do CTE program or it could be economic development for buildings.
“The more sales tax we collect, the more it affects us it — just like collecting property tax on a million-dollar building,” he added.
Ward also spoke on the $200,000 that the EDC spent on two buildings downtown that will bring more businesses downtown.
“So we’re in the retail business, it’s not something I though I was comfortable doing but the remodel part is good and it brings jobs,” Ward said. “Yes the job number is lower but my son could work there, a college student could work there, a person providing for their family could work there. It’s the sales tax that sold me and my board into it.”
Reach Katelin Gandee at 910-506-3171 or at [email protected]