Tuesday evening, Green River hosted a city council meeting and discussed a few matters of importance. The main issue was the approval or denial of a Holiday Inn Express and Suites to be built on the west side of town.
Last month, it was requested that the tax increment financing (TIF) be renegotiated. It was purposed that the TIF go from 75% of incremental property tax revenues for 20 years to 70% and 15 years.
An economic expert displayed a presentation to show if Green River could support a new hotel. She presented four categories: direct impact, fiscal impact, indirect impact and induced impact. She stated that the company would be buying local during construction, which in turn would help the local businesses. The estimated 20-year economic impact on Green River would be $107 million dollars.
After further discussion, the motion to approve or deny the incentive request for proposed hotel project was denied. All votes from council members were against the hotel.
Other items of discussion were the request for partial payment for EMT basic training fees. The county currently pays $500 of the $800 per student toward the class. It was purposed the city pay $200 per student while the student must cover $100 of the remaining balance while under a probation period of two years. They must pass the EMT test after the class or they will be required to pay back the fee. The proposal for the partial payment was approved.