Albert Lea Mayor Jean Eaton met with officials from Faribault and Martin counties, including mayors, economic development authorities and chambers, to explore a joint application for a tax-free zone Thursday.

Eaton reported about the discussion to local officials gathered at the city-county meeting.

She said the participants basically agreed to put forward a joint application, and possibly expand the area even further west.

&uot;We are headed in the right direction to be successful,&uot; Eaton said. &uot;But, how far we go (to the west) is still up in the air.&uot;

The joint application has become more plausible as eligibility criteria discussed in the legislature have changed.

The tax-free zone would be up to 5,000 acres. But the site needs to be ready for development with water and sewer services. So far, the city has picked up about 800 acres within the city boundary and around the site adjacent to EXOL, the ethanol plant near Glenville. Even with the three counties combined, the 5,000-acre limit would not be reached, Albert Lea City Manager Paul Sparks explained.

Eaton emphasized the region to the west of Freeborn County has socioeconomic indices that better fit the tax-free zone legislation. The area shares a border with Iowa, with which it has to compete for jobs. Eaton also said job training opportunities at Riverland Community College would be another strong sales point, since the current enrollment shows the students primarily come from the west.

The tax-free zones, proposed by Gov. Tim Pawlenty, would exempt qualifying property from taxes in hopes of spurring economic development.

Other items discussed in the city-county meeting included:

&045; The city’s payment for the new Criminal Justice Center. Sparks said the city will finalize the number based on the actual construction bids. He estimates it would be roughly $950,000. The city will pay the amount with interest over 20 years. Sparks said that issuing bonds for it is not an option.

The city will share space with the Freeborn County Sheriff’s Department in the new law-enforcement center.

&045; The possibility of staff sharing. The county asked if the two governments can share staff for building inspection and computer management.