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Alabama’s Big 10 Mayors with 2023 Legislative
from HBJ Apr 23 Issue
By: Noah Logan / Photos
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“The Big 10 Mayors group has been around for several years now, and while we’ve always discussed state priorities amongst ourselves, this is the first year we’ve approached a formal state agenda in quite this way,” said Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle. “The 2023 agenda lays out several priorities that the mayors of Alabama’s ten most populous cities think the state government should address. “
The first item listed in the agenda is the renewal and expansion of the Alabama Jobs Act and the Growing Alabama Act. The Alabama Jobs Act is an incentive to stimulate economic growth through new job creation and capital investment. There are many incentives laid out in the act which include the job creation incentive and an annual cash rebate up to 3% of the previous year’s gross payroll
(not including fringe benefits) for eligible employees for up to 10 years.
Huntsville is a great example for the other metros to look to in this regard as the city’s efforts resulted in the state’s lowest unemployment rate last year at 2.0 percent.
“When you look at the big industrial economic development wins in Alabama over the last decade, two things stand out: a local government was key in the recruitment process, and the state’s economic incentives helped make Alabama the right place for the company,” Mayor Battle stated.
“That’s why it is such a natural fit for our Big 10 Mayors group to advocate for renewing and enhancing the incentives legislation. Those laws are irreplaceable tools in our economic development toolbox – big projects such as our bringing in Mazda-Toyota Manufacturing would not have been possible without them. Our ultimate goal is to make sure the incentives are around so Alabama’s economy can continue to grow and the citizens of this state can prosper.”
Apart from focusing on the Alabama Jobs Act, the agenda highlighted other major areas of legislation:
- Increase Online Sales Tax Transparency: The Alabama Big 10 Mayors support efforts to make online sales tax distribution data from the State available publicly. If Alabamians are required to pay taxes on items purchased on the internet, they deserve the right to know where their tax dollars are going.
- Revitalizing Neighborhoods and Reducing Blight Through Clearing Red Tape: The Alabama Big 10 Mayors support legislation that would slash unnecessary, burdensome red tape to allow local governments and land bank authorities to take control
