Rutherford County, Tennessee

probably, creating an MRF recycling facility like we saw in San Jose, California.” An MRF (Materials Recovery Facility) takes in a broad stream of solid waste and separates out recyclable materials through manual and mechanical sorting. The recyclables are then processed for market, and the non-recyclable materials are sent to a landfill or other disposal facility. According to Ketron, the County and its four major cities - Eagleville, La Vergne, Smyrna, and Murfreesboro - will probably create a Solid Waste Authority to handle the issue. While the waste stream situation is being addressed, Ketron is keen on pointing out Rutherford County’s many advantages to any new residents or businesses with a desire to relocate. “We’re a no-income tax state, and we’re in the process of getting rid of the Hall tax,” he avers. (The Hall income tax is imposed only on individuals and other entities receiving interest from bonds and notes and dividends from stock. It was enacted in 1929 and was originally called the Hall income tax for the senator who sponsored the legislation.) “Each year, over the next two years, it will totally disappear, so we’ll have no ‘Death Tax,’ no income tax, and no tax on capital gains. As long as you manage your sales and property taxes, it works out quite well. We have a great educational system; we’ve probably got the second or third strongest pension program in the country, which is 95 percent funded; we have a great greenway system by the river; and the quality of life here in Middle Tennessee is attractive to so many people.” RUTHERFORD COUNTY , TENNESSEE