Hoping for strength in numbers, the I-90 corridor group applying for a tax free zone together, which includes Freeborn County, is likely to expand to eight counties.

The group that will apply for one of the state’s 10 tax free zones will likely consist of Brown, Blue Earth, Waseca, Jackson, Martin, Faribault and Mower counties.

“It’s not set in stone who will be in our group,” Mayor Jean Eaton said. “But however it forms, it will put us in good position.&uot;

Wednesday, the Minnesota House of Representatives passed their bill to give the OK on tax free zones. Eaton thinks it is on its way to passing through the Senate and governor.

“We are pretty confident it will pass,” she said.

In anticipation of that, she along with Greater Jobs President Pam Bishop, Freeborn County Administrator Ron Gabrielsen, went to Blue Earth Thursday to meet with like representatives from the other counties interested in forming a regional group for the zone.

Eaton said the meeting was productive and gave her a good deal of hope.

So far, 12 regions have made it known that they will apply for a zone. With 12 being given out, it puts Freeborn County in good stead for success.

Eaton said the region came up with committees yesterday to break down the work between the counties and come up with a uniform idea of how the zones would be split up, how many acres each county would get, how all the data will be collected and presented and when the application will be due.

The zones are given to regions on the basis of different qualities, such as declining population, large employer losses, rate of unemployment, among others. If Freeborn and Mower counties were to join in on an application, Eaton said they likely would not qualify. But by joining up with the other counties along the I-90 corridor, they give themselves a better chance.

Eaton said the group hopes to have resolutions from each county, city and school district involved by July and have all the data ready for application by October. If everything passes through the legislature, Eaton said the region could hear back as early as December.

“I think Freeborn County is far ahead of most other counties,” Eaton said, after the meeting. “Some of the others were at the table hearing about this legislation for the first time.”

Eaton said those others made her a little apprehensive at first, but the more the group discussed the issue, the more she realized it would be a good thing.

“It’s really to our advantage to have a consolidated effort,” Eaton said.

Because the legislation has not yet passed the senate, Eaton encouraged the public to lobby them for support.

“We really need to have this,” she said. “We feel it is something we can add to our economic development packages or ‘tool kit’ to attract businesses.”