According to a legally required announcement before local governments in North Carolina can hand out taxpayer dollars in the form of incentives, an unnamed company is “considering an expansion at the Gallimore Dairy Road facility in Greensboro in addition to other options within the United States for a projected investment of $305,000,000 in personal property and the creation of 109 new jobs by December 31, 2027.”
The code name for the project is “Project Electro,” and the clearly very rich company is asking for $2,618,623 from Guilford County taxpayers, which the Guilford County Board of Commissioners will award to the company immediately after the public hearing, no matter what anyone says at the hearing.
That’s because every time a proposed project of this sort gets to this stage in the process – as a public hearing on the agenda of the Board of Commissioners – it is already a done deal.
It’s illegal for a local government in North Carolina to just hand over money to a company for nothing in return, so this company, which already is definitely coming to Guilford County, has to pretend that it’s still mulling over other possible locations.
It is not.
The truth is that the Board of Commissioners probably could have even gotten by without agreeing to pay the $2.6 million, but the commissioners argue that “This’s how the game is played these days,” and, if the county hadn’t agreed to pay the money, they say, Project Electro – whatever that is – might have chosen somewhere else to spend its $305 million.
According to Guilford County officials, the hearing will be “to receive public input on the proposed allocation of funds” for the Economic Development Incentive Grant.”
The mystery company is also requesting additional incentives from the state and from the City of Greensboro, which will also give them what they ask.
Guilford County officials note, “The local approval of incentives does not commit the company to locate in North Carolina; however, the cash grants are contingent upon, among other things, the company’s entry into a local economic development agreement with Guilford County containing the obligations and agreements of the company and Guilford County.”
The public hearing will be held at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 7 in the Commissioners’ Meeting Room located on the second floor of the Old Guilford County Court House at 301 W. Market St. in Greensboro.
“Build it, and we will pay”. 2.618 mil for for 109 jobs = $24,018 per job. Profits for the owners, profits for the construction, etc. How about all the thousands of businesses in Guilford County who got nothing but a (much) higher property tax bill. Now yet another businesses who is bribed by the taxpayer. You do not have pay me a bribe to leave the County.
Just make me King of Guilford County. I will not be playing this game.
Said it once and will say it again. The use of our tax money being given away for economic incentives by local communities should be outlawed! This indicates corruption at it’s best and is nothing but “Representation without Taxation”! Pretty sad when a community can’t be picked for economic development based on it’s own merits. What a silly game our community, state, and federal leaders are playing!
Jim Donaldson
This is the corruption of the state on full display.
An entity that will generate a munificent income stream in taxes for government is being bribed with my money to locate here.
Meanwhile, my small business gets nothing – except the bill.
All government is debased and craves money and power in ever increasing degree.
Yeah. Nothing at all shady about this.
“ $2,618,623 from Guilford County taxpayers” Where is this money coming from?
“ in addition to other options within the United States ” Does this indicate that only part of the 109 jobs (created by the end of 2027, three plus years from now) will be in Guilford County?
This is very offensive. Greensboro already has an Electro, who passed away. If you don’t know who Electro was, you ain’t from Greensboro. That company will have to change its name to exist here.
If you want an “Electro Project”, sponsor a music education program or a homeless shelter. Damn carpetbaggers.
I vaguely remember some talk about a character named Electro from when I was at UNC-G in the mid-80’s, but I can’t remember the context.
Who was he?
He was a musician and street person that had the Allman Brothers in his Rolodex. He’d just go from bar to bar and we’d all booze him up and then played til morning. He was fixture for at least four decades. “Project Electro” is very disrespectful. Not cool with the name at all.
Thank you. If he was going from bar to bar in the 1980’s around UNC-G I must have heard him play, or at least heard about him. I don’t think I met him (beer was involved, and it was a long time ago), but I concur that he was a legend at the time, and his memory shouldn’t be slighted.
– Cheers!
yowzer !
yowzer!
I object to my tax money being used to pay bribes to businesses. It’s blackmail. Our business doesn’t ask for bribes. This offends me and is just another reason I question why I’m paying taxes.
Cabrini Greensboro…..4 hi – rise buildings…
And Skippy wants to raise the sales tax cause they need more money.
” It’s illegal for a local government in North Carolina to just hand over money to a company for nothing in return,” should be “It’s illegal for a local government in North Carolina to give money to a company,” period. That money belongs to taxpayers, yet we do not have input into the decision. One might say that we elected our representatives to make that decision. No, we did not. Giving away our tax dollars to profit making companies is not what we elected them to do. Term limits are a start to correcting this travesty of self-interested politicians, including state elected politicians. The article reads: is “considering an expansion at the Gallimore Dairy Road facility in Greensboro.” My best guess is that the company is I Q E, a British semiconductor company. There is land available at the existing facility. The address is 494 Gallimore Dairy Rd. Regardless of the company receiving our tax dollars, it should be illegal for tax money to be given to a private/public traded company. Period. Now we know why Skip Alston and the other commissioners want to pass the proposed sales tax increase. Vote AGAINST the tax increase. If the tax increase fails in November, as it should, Skip Alston and his minions like Kay Cashion, will try again. Skip Alston will be re-elected again and again by his district. There is nothing that other Guilford County voters can do about that. But Guilford County voters can give the boot to Kay Cashion as an at-large candidate, if she runs again in 2026.
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“We need to increase your Sales Tax so we can give $2.6 Million to a big foreign company!”
It doesn’t sell as well as money for the “underpaid teachers”, does it?
But all Guilford County’s money comes out of the same pot.
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We feed this whole region Alamance, Randolph, Rockingham, Pittsylvania, Davidson, Forsyth is only half self sufficient instead of worshipping the ground Skip walks on they come to this Rag to complain. You have zero political power here so it’s move or be thankful.
– – So when Trump wins, can we tell you to “move or be thankful?
The alleged 109 jobs to be created in three (3) years will not feed the areas you mention. The writers on this “Rag,” for the most part, are informing and, perhaps, influencing voters to at least think about the elected politicians who make decisions about life and the area residents’ manner of living. Do you believe that the enormous property tax increase has enhanced the life and manner of living of people who live in Guilford County? It is the same politicians who are responsible for the property tax increase that are now giving away $2,618,623 of our tax dollars to an unknown company. The idea of politicians’ interest in being elected to serve has been replaced with self-interested politicians who worm themselves into position of power for self-aggrandizement.
City you are such a big ole dumb a$$. There is no Pittsylvania county in NC. Go back to school.
Southern VA is also dependent on NC commerce and Jobs you don’t Build a Casino in Danville in hopes of pulling in the crowd from south Boston.
Is that South Boston, VA?
you would think our guvmnt would tell us who is doing what where & why so we could resist funding a (insert any bad). ‘pornogamblevice @ gallimore !