Greater Rome Chamber of Commerce President Al Hodge said the decision by Floyd County not to continue to impose a tax on energy used in the manufacturing processes at local plants gives the county a big competitive advantage in the future.

Hodge told members of the Development Authority of Floyd County on Wednesday that manufacturers now look at each individual plant within their system when it’s time to expand.

“The big news was their strong support for our existing manufacturers to retain those jobs,” Hodge said.

“Obviously (people in)

those jobs shop, eat and do business here.”

The chamber chief also said that the commission wasted no time in getting the word

of the energy tax decision out to prospective industries and statewide developers, only after notifying all local manufacturers first.

“Just as Freeport, the inventory taxation, is a competitive situation, we can say with certainty that our city and county leadership have taken care of the folks that are here with service after the sale ... ,” Hodge said. “This (no energy tax) will also be a competitive advantage. That is truly good news related to jobs and the opportunities here.”

Hodge told the authority members that Rome got a site visit from a prospective industry before Christmas and from different folks in the weeks since Christmas.

“That portends well for the future, but nothing conclusive,” Hodge said.

Chamber of Commerce Director of Economic Development Heather Seckman told the panel that her office is continuing to finalize their effort to have the 100-acre tract at the northwest corner of Ga. 53 and Ga. 140 declared a Georgia Ready for Accelerated Development site.

“There are some selection consultants that only bring their clients to GRAD certified sites,” Seckman said. “It means that everything is there — the water, sewer, the gas, electricity — it’s already zoned for industrial; it’s already had environmental studies done.”

Seckman also drew attention to the Confluence conference set for Feb. 21-22 with keynote speaker Chris Anderson, former editor-in-chief of Wired magazine from 2001-2012.

The Development Authority of Floyd County elected Bryan Shealy to succeed David Johnson as treasurer. Johnson and DAFC Chair Nancy Smith’s terms will expire this spring. The authority decided to wait until the appointments are made by county commissioners to replace Johnson and Smith before electing a new chairman.