Plymouth County's strengths surprising in uncertain national economy

Plymouth County is ahead of the game when it comes to economic development, despite an unstable national economy.

The county's economy is in good shape because of its low unemployment and property tax rates, high wages and property tax valuations and continued business and residential growth, according to Gary Tucker, Plymouth County's economic director.

Currently the county's property tax rate is ranked the eighth lowest of the 99 counties in Iowa at 7.9 percent per $100,000 valuation. The county's actual property valuation has also grown from $1.3 billion in 2000 to $1.7 billion in 2007.

Comparing wages in the six county region -- Plymouth, Sioux, Lyon, Osceola, O'Brien and Cherokee -- Plymouth has the highest average wage of $16.45 an hour and in March its unemployment rate was 3.4 percent.

"We're doing extremely well and moving forward," Tucker said. "I think the numbers speak well for the county."

Tucker presented those facts and others to the Plymouth County Supervisors Tuesday.

Supervisor Craig Anderson asked if the high wages and low unemployment rates could be a deterrent for companies looking to relocate.

"It can be a negative, but very unlikely for a large company," Tucker said.

New commercial and industrial businesses in fiscal year 2008 are expected to exceed $150 million in investment -- which comes back to the county and cities in tax dollars.

Some of those businesses include a new medical clinic in Remsen, an ethanol plant and feed mill in Merrill and the North West REC headquarters in Le Mars.

"Continued growth in the county helps to control property tax increases, increase wages and decrease unemployment," Tucker said.

When considering a healthy economy it's necessary to look at all those factors, which create an environment people and businesses want to come to, he said.

"You have to look at the whole picture," Tucker said. "You can't isolate any of those elements. It's a total package."

Economic development officials are also working with Smart Solutions, a Des Moines company, design and implement a marketing plan to bring new companies to the six-county region in northwest Iowa, Tucker said.

"We're going to be aggressively seeking companies that want to locate in the region and provide them with information that will hopefully encourage them to do this," he said.

"We are trying to make sure the future of our county continues to be successful and continues to grow."

Tucker said Smart Solutions is reputed to have success with economic development projects in other states and counties.

It's not just the commercial and industrial growth in the county but also residential growth that attributes to its stable economy. There were 550 new dwellings constructed between 2000 and 2007 in Plymouth County.

"It won't be without challenges, but we're going to be very successful because we have the leadership in place that is going to do everything they can to make sure that Plymouth County continues to grow," Tucker said. "I think the future looks very bright for our county."