Former —- emphasis on former—- Guilford County economic development director Rob Bencini weighs in on Commissioner Steve Arnold’s controversial economic incentives plan that would provide tax rebates to small companies that expand their facilities:

Arnold knows that rebating taxes is illegal. Guilford County staff told him that repeatedly. The previous staff kept the commissioners out of this type of trouble, created the most aggressive local high-wage economic development policy in North Carolina — adopted in 2008 by the commissioners, and saving county taxpayers $1 million in incentive grant payments from the three projects approved in 2008 alone.

Now there is no one minding the store from the staff perspective. This is but one outcome of all the staff cuts in the name of “efficiency.”

Not six months from eliminating the economic development staff, the commissioners are dabbling in illegal and poorly thought-through economic development activity.

This proposed policy needs to be quickly and thoroughly dismissed.

Again, the danger is commissioners will pass this policy and dole out incentives to a large company promising large numbers of jobs.