Support is swelling for a Kentucky House of Representatives bill that would return money to counties powered by the Tennessee Valley Authority, in order to help address economic development needs.
The Calloway County Fiscal Court passed a resolution this week urging the general assembly to pass state Rep. Wilson Stone’s pre-filed legislation. Calloway County Judge-Executive Larry Elkins said the bill would redirect some of TVA’s in-lieu-of tax payments to the county.
“If it’s approved, then we would get half of the in-lieu-of tax money,” Elkins said. “See, as a government utility, they don’t pay taxes, but they pay a fee in lieu of taxes. Same thing. Half of that in-lieu-of tax money would come directly to the local governments for economic development purposes.”
The Hopkinsville City Council will consider a similar resolution of support at Thursday's committee of the whole meeting.
Elkins said it will be hard for the bill to pass, because the TVA counties in Kentucky represent a minority of the commonwealth’s 120 counties.
The general assembly will consider the bill when it convenes in January.
