The Womble Carlyle Economic Development Digest - December 1, 2014

Womble Carlyle’s Economic Development Digest aggregates news, opportunities and legislation  impacting business in the United States. In this week's Economic Development Digest:

California EH Group bio-mass, WEDA contract on agenda, The Daily Independent (November 18, 2014) Ridgecrest, California City Council, at its meeting Wednesday, is scheduled to discuss and possibly approve a contract between the city of Ridgecrest and the EH Group. The EH Group develops Bio-Mass Refinery Systems; they were selected by council on July 2 to receive an industrial development grant totaling $500,000 (according to a staff report). Keeping S.F. light rail on track and on time, San Francisco Gate (November 25, 2014) San Francisco upgrades its light rail service at the same time as it sets an ambitious goal of having all electricity in the city come from renewable sources by the end of 2020. Georgia Georgia passes amendment to cap individual income tax rate, TaxAnalysts.com (November 6, 2014)** Georgia voters overwhelmingly approved amending the state constitution to prohibit an increase in the top income tax rate, which stands at 6 percent. Caesarstone location in Bryan County named "Deal of the Year" by Georgia Economic Developers Association, BusinessWire (November 19, 2014) The Georgia Economic Developers Association (GEDA), one of the leading organizations for economic development in the U.S., named the location of the Israeli company Caesarstone Sdot-Yam Ltd. (NASDAQ:CSTE) to Bryan County, Ga., as the “Deal of the Year” in the 50,000 and under population category at its annual awards luncheon Monday. Cobb sending three freshman to the Georgia Legislature, The Marietta Daily Journal (November 30, 2014) New Georgia lawmakers focus on tax-abatement districts as a tool to encourage development and jobs. Maryland     Can Larry Hogan change Maryland's business climate?, Baltimore Business Journal (November 14, 2014) Hopes are running high in Maryland's corporate community that Larry Hogan will improve Maryland’s business climate when he takes over as governor in January. CNBC named Maryland the 35th best state in the country for business in 2014. Chief Executive magazine named it 41st. While a new Forbes ranking said Maryland was the 20th best state for businesses and careers, the magazine still deemed it as among the poorest in the country in business costs and regulatory environment. North Carolina North Carolina slides in Business Climate 2014 rankings, Triangle Business Journal ( November 3, 2014) Site Selection magazine has (again) named Georgia as the state with the Top Business Climate for 2014. Forbes: NC is 3rd-best state for business, Triangle Business Journal (November 13, 2014) North Carolina is No. 3 on Forbes' 2014 "Best and Worst States for Business”, which is an increase from last year’s number 4 spot. Partnership for new jobs starts strong, The Snap Online (November 10, 2014) North Carolina’s new, private job-recruiting and marketing agency appears to be starting off on the right foot when it comes to transparency. Washington D.C. Muriel Bowser says she will remove Reeves Center sale from D.C. United stadium deal, The Washington Post (November 18, 2014) Mayor-elect wants to disconnect Reeves sale from stadium plan. The District's mayor-elect said Tuesday that she would move to "de-link" the sale of a valuable city property from a broader deal to build a stadium for the D.C. United soccer franchise, a move that could ease political concerns but create new complications for the $300 million proposal. **Note: a paid subscription is required to access this article. A brief description has been provided. Please contact Womble Carlyle’s Economic Development Team for more information on these developments. Womble Carlyle's Economic Development Team helps clients explore opportunities for locating or expanding operations in the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic U.S. Our Economic Development Team combines a thorough working knowledge of economic development incentives; land use and siting procedures; and regulatory matters at the state, county and local levels, drawing on strong relationships built over many years with key governmental and civic leaders. For more information visit www.wcsr.com/Practices/Economic-Development. If you have any questions about this Economic Development Digest, please e-mail EconDigest@wcsr.com or contact any member of Womble Carlyle's Economic Development Team. Contacts North Carolina Charlotte Raleigh Research Triangle Park Winston-Salem John Hunter 704.331.4951 JHunter@wcsr.com Don Donadio 919.755.2102 DDonadio@wcsr.com Neill Edwards 919.484.2357 NEdwards@wcsr.com Alfred Adams 336.721.3642 AAdams@wcsr.com Chris Kouri 704.331.4987 CKouri@wcsr.com Nellie Shipley 919.755.2107 NShipley@wcsr.com       South Carolina Charleston Columbia Greenville Morris Ellison 843.720.4614 MEllison@wcsr.com Todd Carroll 803.454.7730 Todd.Carroll@wcsr.com Larry Estridge 864-255-5401 LEstridge@wcsr.com Foster Gaillard 843.720.4610 FGaillard@wcsr.com Kevin Hall 803.454.7710 Kevin.Hall@wcsr.com Keith Munson 864-255-5412 KMunson@wcsr.com Stephanie Yarbrough 843.720.4621 StYarbrough@wcsr.com     Georgia Atlanta     Steven Dunlevie 404.888.7401 SDunlevie@wcsr.com

The Economic Development Digest - November 22, 2013

Womble Carlyle’s Economic Development Digest aggregates news, opportunities and legislation impacting business in the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic U.S.

In this week's Economic Development Digest:

California

Panelists debate value of complexity in new California hiring credit program, TaxAnalysts.com (November 14, 2013)** Though California replaced its enterprise zone program with new economic development incentives, a panel of experts at the California Tax Bar's annual meeting debated whether the new system is too complex to be effective. California film tax credits under scrutiny after FBI sting, TaxAnalysts.com (November 18, 2013)** A legislative effort to expand and extend California's film tax credit finds itself in the middle of a scandal worthy of a Hollywood script.

Florida

Palm Beach County Commissioner Priscilla Taylor named new mayor, The Palm Beach Post (November 19, 2013) Legislative priorities: Palm Beach County, Florida, approved the legislative priorities for the 2014 session. They include supporting economic development projects for the Glades, requesting more than $124 million for environmental projects, and opposing gambling legislation that puts the Palm Beach Kennel Club at a competitive disadvantage.

Georgia

Georgia policy group warns tax shifts would reduce education funding, TaxAnalysts.com (November 1, 2013)** The Georgia Budget and Policy Institute has issued a fact sheet to show how proposals to offset income tax cuts with higher sales taxes would probably lead to budget cuts, which would ultimately harm funding for public school and college education. Georgia DOR proposes to amend, repeal sales tax rules for manufacturers, TaxAnalysts.com (November 14, 2013)** The Georgia Department of Revenue has proposed to amend and repeal sales and use tax rules on manufacturing chemicals and gases, containers and packaging materials, utilities, equipment and tools, and labels and tags.

Maryland

Maryland proposes to amend regs on forest management, conservation tax incentive programs, TaxAnalysts.com (November 15, 2013)** The Maryland Department of Natural Resources has proposed amendments to forest management program and forest conservation regulations to update eligibility criteria for silvicultural practices that qualify for income tax abatement and to clarify the local conservation program biennial review process. Kevin Kamenetz reboots Baltimore County economic development office and nominates director, Baltimore Business Journal (November 18, 2013) Baltimore County, Maryland begins effort to rename its Department of Economic Development the “Department of Economic and Workforce Development”, saying that providing a steady stream of well-trained workers is “job one” in Baltimore County’s economic development plan.

North Carolina

Metros dominate NC economy, New & Observer (November 20, 2013) North Carolina’s economy appears to be concentrated in its metropolitan cities and counties with its seven largest metro areas generating nearly 70 percent of North Carolina’s economy.

South Carolina

South Carolina will have $440 million more to spend next year than expected, wbtw.com (November 19, 2013) South Carolina will have at least $440 million more than expected to spend in next year's budget, according to the economists who make the state's budget forecasts.

Tennessee

Audit of Tennessee DOR finds problems with jobs tax credit audits, state contract procedures, TaxAnalysts.com (October 29, 2013)** The Tennessee Division of State Audit has completed an audit of the Department of Revenue, and reports that the DOR did not adequately document whether companies receiving Jobs Tax Credits complied with state law and did not implement procedures to ensure that Tennessee contracts only with entities registered under the Retailer's Sales Tax Act.

Texas

Texas policy group compares impact of tax, regulatory structures in Texas and California, TaxAnalysts.com (November 1, 2013)** The Texas Public Policy Foundation has compared how tax structure and government policy have affected economic growth in Texas and California, and argues that Texas's low-tax, business-friendly climate has led to increased economic output, while California suffers from tax flight problems and "parasitic leakages" due to its high tax rates and burdensome regulations.

Virginia

Virginia Housing Authority amends regs on allocation of low-income housing credits, TaxAnalysts.com (November 18, 2013)** The Virginia Housing Development Authority has amended regulations governing the allocation of low-income housing tax credits.

Washington D.C.

OECD cuts global economic growth forecast, warns of risks from U.S., Los Angeles Times (November 19, 2013 The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development said world economic output would expand 2.7 percent this year and 3.6 percent in 2014. Driving the economy forward with infrastructure investment, The Washington Post (November 21, 2013) The Partnership to Build America Act (H.R. 2084) has 25 Republican and 25 Democratic co-sponsors, making it a significant piece of bipartisan economic-oriented legislation in the House.

**Note: a paid subscription is required to access this article. A brief description has been provided. Please contact Womble Carlyle’s Economic Development Team for more information on these developments.

Womble Carlyle's Economic Development Team helps clients explore opportunities for locating or expanding operations in the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic U.S. Our Economic Development Team combines a thorough working knowledge of economic development incentives; land use and siting procedures; and regulatory matters at the state, county and local levels, drawing on strong relationships built over many years with key governmental and civic leaders. For more information visit www.wcsr.com/economicdevelopment.

If you have any questions about this Economic Development Digest, please e-mail EconDigest@wcsr.com or contact any member of Womble Carlyle's Economic Development Team.