To encourage Toyota's investment, the Kentucky Economic Development Finance Authority amended the company's existing incentive agreement. The amendment added tax incentives of up to $43.5 million in for the Reborn project, creating a total cumulative incentive of up to $190 million.

Hours before adjourning for the year, the Senate and House obligingly approved an amended version of House Bill 482 containing approval for the $15 million bond. Secretary Terry Gill said the funding is needed as "an option for us to respond to a competitive situation that we've been pursuing for several months."

The Kentucky Education and Workforce Development Cabinet received 41 project applications — totaling more than $165 million in requests — for second-round funding consideration through the Commonwealth's new $100 million statewide workforce development bond fund, the Work Ready Skills Initiative.

The rankings – part of Site Selection's annual Governor's Cup awards – make 2016 the third consecutive year Kentucky has placed first or second in the per-capita competition. Numerous Kentucky metropolitan and micropolitan regions also placed on top-10 lists for their economic development achievements.

The Senate approved and combined House Bill 156, which sets up a Kentucky Mountain Regional Recreation Authority to promote outdoor activities with money from the state's abandoned mine lands fund, and Senate Bill 215, which uses coal severance money to create a Kentucky Coal Fields Endowment Authority.

The best answer is, "We are trying very hard," according to private investors and government officials. Kentucky is not going to be Silicon Valley said Warren Nash, executive director of the Von Allmen Center for Entrepreneurship at the University of Kentucky. However, a value proposition is emerging.

Ryan Quarles from the Department of Agriculture sat down with The Lane Report to discuss the current state of agribusiness in Kentucky. Ultimately he determined that an increased focus on processing will add jobs, and grow the value of agribusiness in the state.

This course brings TIF deal-making and best practices into focus through a two-day program targeting the entire TIF community including economic developers, public agency representatives, bond issuers, legal professionals, developers, financial advisors, and other stakeholders. 

The CDFA & OSU Webcast is a special one time offering. This webcast will cover the Energy Finance Landscape and explore how its successes may be applied to the Food Systems Landscape. This webcast will be run by students taking the graduate level Sustainable Financing class in the Department of City and Regional Planning at The Ohio State University.

>>> SEARCH HEADLINES