The state officially approved Warren County’s application to establish an Enhanced Enterprise Zone (EEZ).The county received a letter from the Missouri Department of Economic Development July 1 approving the EEZ, which is mainly along the Interstate 70 corridor from Pendleton to Wright City.An Enhanced Enterprise Zone is an economic development tool designed to assist communities that qualify, which in this case includes the cities of Warrenton, Truesdale, Wright City and Pendleton, by supplying a tax abatement program for current businesses that want to expand or new businesses that want to relocate within the zone.Boonslick Regional Planning Commission Community Representative Jay Gourley said the EEZ tax abatements mainly apply to industry and manufacturing businesses.“Gambling entities, retail, educational services, religious organizations, government entities and food and drink establishments would not qualify,” he said.Companies located within the EEZ can qualify for state tax credits accompanied by real property tax abatements.Tax credits may be provided each year for up to five tax years after the project commences operations.“The facility must file each year for tax credits, typically by Dec. 31,” Gourley said.Gourley said the maximum annual tax credit is $24 million.To be eligible for the tax abatement program, businesses must be new or expanding with at least two new employees on the payroll and the company must have at least $100,000 in new investment, Gourley said.Companies must also provide health insurance to full-time employees, with at least 50 percent of the premium paid by the employer.Gourley said that because of a weak economy, industrial development has been sluggish in Warren County.“(The EEZ) will give them a leg up on somebody else that might have otherwise located in a non-enterprise zone,” he said.Gourley has been helping promote an EEZ in Lincoln County that was approved about two years ago.Although he said he has not seen a huge amount of growth in industry and manufacturing there, he is optimistic that the program will eventually bring in more businesses because he has seen it happen in Gasconade County where he lives.“The southern part of Gasconade County is an EEZ,” he said. “Hermann, where I live, is not. The efforts of the Industrial Development Association (to bring in new businesses) have been emphasized on the southern half of the county because that’s where the enterprise zone is located.”Gourley said one thing about the EEZ that concerns him is that officials, such as representatives of Boonslick or any other planning commission need to do “due diligence” and research interested companies to ensure they are viable.“You want to make sure it’s a company that will last,” he said. “For example, you don’t want minimum wage companies because they usually don’t stay.”EEZ Could Attract More Industry