Fort Wayne City Council advanced the establishment of the Summit City Entrepreneur and Enterprise District by the state of Indiana to spur development opportunities during its meeting Tuesday night.
Senate Bill 514, authored by state senator Brandt Hershman, targeted Fort Wayne and Lafayette with an allocation of $1 million each, with each city council district receiving funding.
State representative Phil GiaQuinta co-sponsored the measure, and attended Tuesday’s meeting. He says previous partnerships between the Indiana Economic Development Corporation and the city of Fort Wayne aided in getting the funding for the pilot program.
“The legislature is always looking for ways to encourage small business growth and encourage people to start businesses,” said GiaQuinta.
“While we don’t discourage industrial and manufacturing jobs, we want to embrace the 21st century and what these jobs could mean to the community.”
GiaQuinta said the measure passed the legislature unanimously. He also said the state hopes to expand these opportunities to more cities in the Hoosier State in the future.
The measure passed on a 6-2 vote; councilmen Jason Arp and Paul Ensley voted against it, and Russ Jehl was absent. It is expected for its final vote next Tuesday, December 12.
