FLORENCE – Corporate growth isn’t the most important indicator of the health of Boone County to Judge-Executive Gary Moore. It’s the quality of the growth that matters to him.
“We want to ensure the growth is adding to the quality of life in the community, not just putting more pressure on roads and infrastructure,” he said.
Moore’s comments came in a “state of the county’ presentation to the Florence Rotary Club on September 19. He said Boone County ranks first or second in the state in most measures of economic health.
For example, the county continues to enjoy rapid growth in jobs and population. Boone County has enjoyed 20 consecutive quarters of payroll tax receipt increases, and has not placed any new taxes on county residents, Moore said.
In addition, Boone County ranked among the top 5 percent of counties nationwide in attracting skilled labor jobs, according to a recent study by Emsi, a labor market analyst.
“New companies are still coming and existing companies are still growing,” Moore noted. “That’s an indicator of economic stability.”
The population has more than doubled over the past 16 years, growing from 57,000 to 130,000. About 90,000 live in unincorporated Boone County.
The business and population growth have put tremendous pressure on the county’s roadways and infrastructure systems. Traffic congestion is particularly acute at the intersection of Mt. Zion Road and Interstate 71/75 and the intersection of U.S. 42 and Weaver Road, according to the judge-executive.
Widening of Mt. Zion Road will begin soon. The $20 million project not only will add highway traffic lanes from I-75/71 to U.S. 42, but also will provide sidewalks and multi-modal paths for pedestrians and bicycles, Moore said.
The Mt. Zion Road improvements are among 13 road projects totaling $100 million approved for Boone County in the 2016 Kentucky General Assembly’s Biennial Highway Construction Plan. Moore attributed the funding support to the work of local state legislators and recognition that “Boone County is growing at such a pace we generate a lot of revenue for (use in) other areas of the state.”
“We continue to grow and prosper because of our partnerships with state legislators, with the cities in Boone County, with the surrounding counties and with our school system,” Moore said.
