enefit
LAN - A bill promis.-
ing to create incenti for
De cm tin b iDea to io-
e t in ecoDOmically
depreued Benton Harbor
uld be siped before the
of tile month, says a top
tive . de to Gov. James
BlaDcbard.
Dan Siou . d the gover­
nor mtil May 25 to s�gn
the measure, sponsored by
Rep. Lad Stacey, R-Berrien
Spring, tbat amends the
Enterprise Zone Act
The purpo e of the
Enterprise Zone Act. which,
wa orginally enacted in
1986, to give De and ex­
paDding b iDesses a 60 per­
cent reduction in local
property taxes. There were
also two companion acts that
gave busine es credits
against tbe ingle business lax
nd an exemption from a sales
tax and a use tax. '
Stacey said ne legislation
,was ecessary because the 60
'percent tax brea was not
enough to offset Benton
Harbor' bigh millage rate.
Under the new bill, the in­
vestment requirement for ex­
panding firms to qualify for
enterprise zone benefits
would be reduced from 100
percent 0 current cash value
CI11ZEN P 17
for bu ines
on ne
to 50· percent. Benton
Harbor's l millage rate ould
be reduced from 82.75 mills
to the state ide average of 57
mills. All the additional
revenue, about $800,000,
ould go to improving Ben­
ton Harbor's public orks
projects.
St cey said the new
amendment to the Enterprise
Zone Act ould be a big help
to an economically depressed
Benton Harbor.
"The whole thing is geared
to get ne .• mmerce and ne
industry into Benton Harbor,"
Stacey said. "If you get more
businesses in, then tbey've
got to employ more people."
Tbe measure would also
require Benton Harbor to
produce a comprehensive
economic development plan'
and employ an enterprise
zone assistant to oversee its
implementation. The city
would also have to create a
revolving loan for small busi­
ne es that bave trouble ob­
taining financing in existing
mar ets,
Bob Jackson, cbairman of
the Enterprise Zone Commis-
ion in Benton Harbor, said
that the bill, if passed, ould
create a climate to entice
businesses to create jobs in
Benton Harbor. '
night on Saturday, Jun 2, t
the YWCA, 508 Pleasant" s.,
St. Joseph. Volleyball from 7-
10. Pool open at 8 p.m.
. Board games and refresh­
ments will be provided. A
,$2.00 donation is sugge ted.
For more information call
(616) 983-6625.
Toughlove
The Toughlove Parent
Support Group will meet
tuesday. May 29 at 7:30 p.m.
in the nur ery of the
Stevensville United Methodi t
Church, 550 Ridg Rd.,
Stevensville.
Quilt Show
A Quilt Sho will be held
Saturday, June 2, from 10
a.m. - 5 p.m. and on Sunday,
June 3, from 11 a.m. - 5 p.m.
at the Coo Energy Informa­
tion Center, off 1-94 on Red
Arrow Highway in Bridgman.
Admi ion i free.
, S mlnar for
Handicapper
Small Bu Ine
Owner.
A eminar for handicapper
mall bu i nes owner and
entrepreneurs will be beld in
Kal mazoo on Thursday, June
21, at the Kalamazoo
College Stryker Center,
1327 Academy Street. The
seminar i co- ponsored by
the Handicapper Small Busi-
"Bento Harbor is the moat
distressed city in the state aDd
the reason for that � people
don't have any ork," Jack­
son said. "Tbe wbole
philosophy behind an
enterprise zone is to create a
busiocss climate that makes it
inviting for .people to come in
and establish jobs.-
When the origin
Enterprise Zone as eoacted
ih 1986, Benton Harbor bad
an unemployment rate of 2S
percent, m�dian family in­
come was less than 55 percent
. of the state average and an
SEV (state equ lized. value)
rate of under $4,000 per
capita.
Dr. JohnSchweitzer, direc­
tor of Michigan State
University's Benton Harbor
project, said the key to suc­
cess of any ne development
in Benton Harbor is to make
sure it benefits tbe people
living there.
"That it (new Iegi lation)
does not result in .tbeir proper­
ty taxes going 0 bigb tbat
people can't afford to live
there anymore and tbey get
moved out to another
deteriorating area some place
else, Schweitzer said. "We
h ve to make ure tbat we
don't gentrify Benton Har­
bor."
said tbe
re on the
Enterprise
that the
erested
hel ing b ine climate
ratbCr tban speDClin millio
of dollars on social programs.
-If you change the business
climate and put � people
to. ort aDd provide with the
means to enter the economic
ystem, you don't spend as
much on social p be-
.cause you don't n to," be
said.
At The
Library
The library will be closed
on Monday, May 28. in ob er­
vance of the Memorial Day
holiday. .
Movies for children are
shown on Saturdays at 2 p.m.
Sho ing on Junez, are: Wind,
In The Willow and �trega
ona.
The library will be holding
its annual Used Book Sale
during the wee of June 4-9.
AJ 0 th t eek is an amnesty
period for overdue books; any
overdue book returned
during that week will not be
charged overdue fines.
Auction To Hfllp
Raise Funds For
Animal Aid
Animal Aid is -raistng
funds to pay veterinary bills
through an upcomi ng auction,
which i scheduled to be held
at 11 a.m. Saturday, June 2, at
Kelm Manufacturing, 3149
U.S. 63 North, Benton Har­
bor, ith John 1... Campbell
auctioneer.
People m y donate or ob-
ltain moro1nfpnn lion by call­
ing 84� 1600 bet een '8 a.m.
aud 4:30 p.m.
Slngl Adult
Chrl tl n
� 110 hlp Group'
All area inJle ul are
invited to a ItS im and Gym-
ness Assocrarton : and the
Kalamazoo College Small
Business Development Cen­
ter.
The rcgi tration fee is S15
for HSBA members and S25
for non-members. Further in­
formation can be obtained
from RoseAnne Herzog at
(517) 484-8440.
-:
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( J $15· 0 �ar
" ( ) $9· six month
i ) S2CJ· two � ar..
Name
MAlL TODAY TO:
PO BOX 03S60 •
HIGH !) P . MI 42203
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