Notwithstanding the provisions of Section 1370 of this title and in accordance with the provisions of Section 1 of this act, any county of this state with a population of more than three hundred thousand (300,000) according to the latest Federal Decennial Census may levy a sales tax of not to exceed one percent (1%) upon the gross proceeds or gross receipts derived from all sales or services in the county upon which a consumer's sales tax is levied by the state subject to the following conditions:

1. The proceeds of such sales tax and the interest thereon shall be used solely for the purpose of acquisition and development of qualified manufacturing facilities, related machinery and equipment and any necessary infrastructure changes or improvements related to such facilities located within the county to be owned by the county, any municipality within the county or a public trust in which the county or municipality is a beneficiary. However, such municipality or public trust shall hold such title for the use and benefit of the residents of the entire county in which the tax is levied and collected. The acceptance by the municipality or public trust of any title or tax proceeds shall be deemed an acceptance of this requirement. The board of county commissioners of any county that has approved the imposition of a sales tax pursuant to this section may not commence the collection of any such sales tax until a qualified manufacturing facility has signed an agreement to locate such facility within the county. As used in this paragraph, "qualified manufacturing facility" means a new or expanding facility primarily engaged in manufacturing, production and/or assembly of consumer or other products, whether or not on a factory basis, whose total cost of acquisition and construction exceeds the sum of Fifteen Million Dollars ($15,000,000.00) and which will employ at least one thousand (1,000) new full-time-equivalent employees, as certified by the Employment Security Commission within three (3) years after the completion of the facility;

2. Before a sales tax may be levied by the county, the imposition of the tax shall first be approved by a majority of the registered voters of the county voting thereon at a special election called by resolution of the board of county commissioners in the manner provided by law for county elections;

3. The monies collected pursuant to the provisions of this section shall only be expended by the board of county commissioners to finance an amount not to exceed twenty-five percent (25%) of the total cost related to the acquisition and construction of the qualified manufacturing facility, related machinery and equipment and any necessary infrastructure changes or improvements directly related to such facility; and

4. Such sales tax can only be imposed for a period not to exceed three (3) years.

Added by Laws 1994, c. 1, § 1, emerg. eff. Feb. 25, 1994. Amended by Laws 1994, c. 7, § 4, emerg. eff. March 29, 1994; Laws 2015, c. 254, § 5, eff. Nov. 1, 2015.