in the last 10 years due to the policies that we put in place,” recounts Mayor Canuteson. “A community of just 32,000 people has implemented tax incentive policies that have generated almost $2 billion worth of investment in private sector development. We believe that is a tremendously successful tax incentive policy for the city of Liberty.” The city’s proximity to the Ford Claycomo plant has been a boon, attracting suppliers such as Dakota Bodies and others from related industries. “Ford Motor Company alone has invested $750 million within Liberty’s city limits,” relays Canuteson. Knowing that Ford will continue to be a major economic driver, efforts are also being made to diversify the workforce and employment opportunities in the community. “If one industry starts to lack, we don’t want to go down with it,” Smith asserts.“We want to be able to diversify and continue to thrive. It gives us a good opportunity to continue to grow as a community and as a city.” Beyond automotive, Liberty is home to entities such as a Walgreens micro fulfillment center, and Berlin Packaging. In addition, the city has recently welcomed the US headquarters of TAB Batteries, a Slovenian company. It’s brand new this year,” shares Smith. “The average wage of those jobs was just shy of $100,000 and they hired about 50 people in that facility.” B & B Theatres, the fifth largest movie distributor in the United States also has their headquarters in Liberty.“We’re very proud of the fact that they have more than 100 employees located in Liberty,” touts Mayor Canuteson.“We want to have as many company headquarters here as we can.” Smith points out the city’s use of incentives to attract businesses.“We utilized the chapter 100 program, we factor in investment jobs and the average wage of those jobs,” he reports.“That has been a key driver in what we look for when we incentivize. The policies that have been put in place to make us successful as a community. We know who we are, so it allows us to go after businesses. They know who we are as a community and what we’re looking for.” 114 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 06, ISSUE 02
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