Monday, June 26, 2023–8:18 a.m.

-David Crowder, WRGA News-

The Rome-Floyd County Development Authority is making a change to the minimum wage requirement for economic development incentives.

Each year, the Georgia Department of Community assesses the minimum wage requirement for statutory incentives. This year, it went up again, from $15.05 to $15.90.

“What we do is we follow those state minimums for our minimums,” said Rome-Floyd County Development Authority President and CEO Missy Kendrick. “So, the minimum wage now to receive incentives from our authority is $15.90 per hour.”

According to Kendrick, the number is the lowest average wage of all the counties in the State of Georgia.

“This not something that, you know, saying this is what I want to pay,” she said. “It’s not going to get it if you’re trying to get and keep labor. This is just the minimum required in order to get incentives.”

Incentives for existing industry include various tax credits while incentives for new industry can include PILOT (Payment In Lieu of Taxes) programs, and Freeport exemption as well as other tax credits.