Sec. 23. (a) This section applies only to Wayne County.

(b) Wayne County possesses unique economic development challenges due to underemployment in relation to similarly situated counties. Maintaining low property tax rates is essential to economic development, and the use of a tax under this section to pay any bonds issued or leases entered into to carry out the purposes of this section, rather than the use of property taxes, promotes these purposes.

(c) The county fiscal body may impose a tax on the adjusted gross income of local taxpayers at a tax rate that does not exceed twenty-five hundredths percent (0.25%).

(d) Revenue raised from a tax under this section may be used only for the following purposes:

(1) To finance, construct, acquire, improve, renovate, or equip the county jail and related buildings and parking facilities, including costs related to the demolition of existing buildings and the acquisition of land.

(2) To repay bonds issued, or leases entered into, for constructing, acquiring, improving, renovating, and equipping the county jail and related buildings and parking facilities, including costs related to the demolition of existing buildings and the acquisition of land.

(e) The tax imposed under this section may be imposed only until the later of the date on which the financing, acquisition, improvement, renovation, and equipping described in this section are completed or the date on which the last of any bonds issued or leases entered into to finance the construction, acquisition, improvement, renovation, and equipping described in this section are fully paid. The term of the bonds issued (including any refunding bonds) or a lease entered into under this section may not exceed twenty (20) years.

(f) Notwithstanding any other law, funds accumulated from the tax imposed under this section after:

(1) the redemption of bonds issued; or

(2) the final payment of lease rentals due under a lease entered into under this section;

shall be transferred to the county highway fund to be used for construction, resurfacing, restoration, and rehabilitation of county highways, roads, and bridges.

As added by P.L.243-2015, SEC.10.