BusinessTN

Robertson County has one of the smallest populations of adults with college degrees in the state--ranking 83rd out of 95 counties. Given such a lowly ranking, one might think efforts to develop a higher education facility in the county--currently, there is no such outlet offering college coursework anywhere in the county--would be welcomed.

A plan to do just that using $3 million in funding from Robertson County and $3 million from the City of Springfield became a hotly contested local issue over the past year. County officials authorized funds to build the facility last winter. More recently, Springfield residents went to the polls to vote on whether to uphold a city bond issue to provide its $3 million contribution. Despite the poor economy and other concerns, more than 75% of city voters approved the project moving forward.

Both Austin Peay State University and Volunteer State Community College have committed to offer classes at the new Springfield facility. A private property owner donated several acres of Springfield land for the facility--a gift valued at more than $800,000. NorthCrest Medical Center has agreed to cover the costs ($500,000) of the facility's first two years of operation, and local manufacturer Electrolux has pledged to fund the third year.

"The community is taking a progressive step forward," says Robertson County Mayor Howard Bradley, who supported the measure.

But not everyone agreed building the facility was a good idea. Ken Cherry, a city aldermen, says there's no question that Robertson County needs a higher education facility. He takes issue, though, with the fact that Springfield residents, who are also residents and taxpayers of the county, will carry the heaviest burden in funding the proposed facility. Cherry also believes there is "quite a good possibility" that this project will eventually result in a local property tax increase. "The grappling was with the funding only," he says, "not with the value of the plan, though this is not a great time for the city to fund, basically, two-thirds of the $6 million."

Proponents of the plan, however, dispute Cherry's claims. Bradley counters that the city of Springfield's biggest source of revenue is sales tax--a tax paid not only by Springfield residents but by county residents, too. "We jointly fund the library and the airport, so this idea is nothing new," he says.

Another supporter of the proposal, Rod Kirk, director of economic development with the Robertson County Chamber of Commerce, says concerns about the cost of the facility leading to a tax increase were unfounded. "Property taxes in Springfield haven't increased in 20 years, and even if they were to increase, it could be for a variety of reasons and not just this proposed facility," Kirk says. "We went on the offensive to get the facts out there."

And despite such tax issues, county and city officials are quick to point out the benefits to having such a facility. According to Springfield mayor Billy Paul Carneal, the prohibitive cost of commuting to a college in another county--especially in the current economy--and the fact that many new industries look at the availability of post-secondary education during site consideration for either startup or relocation of their companies, were excellent reasons to build the facility and to build it now, regardless of current economic conditions.

"It speaks volumes for our community that we're willing to do what it takes to succeed in this economy," he says. "Robertson County needs to have a better-educated workforce, and to provide more opportunities for our population to have easier, quicker access to a community college. We need the citizens of our county to be well-prepared for the future. We need a workforce that is ready."

Bradley calls the proposed higher education facility the most exciting project ever attempted in Robertson County. "Less than 12% of our population has advanced degrees, and this is a major impediment to our economic progress," he says. "This is also a very good deal for the state, and this will be profitable for both the colleges. We're already sending 600 students to Volunteer State and 400 to Austin Peay, with many other students going elsewhere."

Residents of Springfield/Robertson County can hope to achieve the same level of success with its new higher education facility that a similar effort in Kingsport has achieved. That operation was at press time one of just 16 finalists nationally to win a 2009 Innovations in American Government Award from the Ash Institute for Democratic Governance and Innovation at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. The annual awards recognize innovation at the city, county, state and federal levels of government and are chosen based on novelty, effectiveness, significance and the degree to which the innovations can inspire replication.

For the sake of workforce development in Robertson County, replication, in this case, would be a good thing.