This appeared in Salvos several times over the years, but it bears repeating.

What if I told you we could bring in 60 full-time jobs that would pay $15 per hour?

So what if I told you the exact equivalent has already occurred? It has.

Several years ago, I went to a National Association of Counties (NACo) conference and learned about a program that started in Cook County, Ill.

As it turns out, a huge number of low-income workers leave money on the table when it comes to the federal income tax system, particularly the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC).

Cook County created a series of free tax clinics to ensure this money returned to their county.

I did some investigating, and it just so happened that Johnson County had the same problem, though obviously on a much smaller scale.

So I pushed for Johnson County to begin a free tax help program. It struck me that we had a potential partner in the Tippe College of Business, and as luck would have it, I could not have had better timing.

What are the results? The Free Tax Help program brings well over $1.5 million into the local economy every year.

It goes to low-income local workers, who spend it locally. And it uses no local tax dollars.

Remember when I said “60 full-time jobs at $15 per hour”? That adds up to a $1.78 million annual impact.

Economic development can take many forms. I happen to believe the Free Tax Help program has contributed a lot of good things to the local economy.