Community Renewal Good Stories - Hamilton

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City of Hamilton Hosts Valuable Tax Seminar

Hamilton, Ohio, RC

In Hamilton and other RC cities, regular marketing and education for businesses about RC tax incentives are critical to program success. In 2003 the city of Hamilton and the Greater Hamilton Chamber of Commerce hosted a morning seminar-Partnering for Community Renewal-for area business owners, developers, tax attorneys, and accountants to sharpen their understanding and interest in the Hamilton RC. A diverse group of local businesses that conduct business in the RC helped underwrite the seminar.

D.C. attorney Linda Schakel, a leading authority on RC tax incentives, presented a 3-hour workshop on tax benefits available to businesses doing business in the city's RC.

Hamilton business owners also helped educate their peers about RC tax incentives. George Schmidt, owner of Hamilton's downtown McDonald's, emphasized that the city's RC designation has helped his bottom line. As an RC business, he receives up to $1,500 in Federal tax credits for each RC resident that he hires or retains.

The press also helped publicize Hamilton's RC program. The local newspaper, the Journal-News, ran a series of articles about the RC during the week of the workshop. To encourage attendance, Chris Xeil Lyons, economic development specialist for Hamilton and the RC program manager, secured continuing education credit for attorneys through the Ohio Supreme Court and for certified public accountants through the Ohio Accountancy Board.

"We are currently working on a follow-up seminar," said Lyons. "Although the designation has been around for a couple of years, it is still new and still needs to be marketed to the business community on a continuing basis. We are also working with our legislators on Capitol Hill to make some of the tax incentives more user-friendly. Our hope is that our marketing efforts, combined with our legislative efforts, will provide the awareness this program needs in order to make it as successful as it was intended to be."

For more information on the programs of the Hamilton RC, please contact Administrator of Economic Development Melissa Johnson-Gabbard at (513) 785-7070.