Bredesen Announces Job Creation Plan for Marshall County
Wednesday, April 07, 2010 | 03:40am
Effort to Combat Unemployment Targets County with High Unemployment Rate
NASHVILLE – Governor Phil Bredesen today announced a plan to reduce unemployment in Marshall County by putting up to 175 people back to work using federal dollars available through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Marshall County has had the state’s highest unemployment rate – 19.1 percent in February – for the past three months and includes 2,330 currently unemployed residents.
“This jobs package will put people back to work and provide some much needed assistance to these residents who are feeling the effects of this economic downturn,” said Bredesen. “One of the primary goals of the Recovery Act is to put people back to work, and I’m glad the state can bring this assistance to Marshall County residents during these tough times.”
The 175 positions include government and private sector employment opportunities that will be funded through September 2010 by Recovery Act dollars allocated to the Tennessee Department of Human Services. These positions include 50 highway maintenance worker positions within the Tennessee Department of Transportation and 125 positions that will be filled primarily by private sector companies seeking to hire additional staff.
Residents of Marshall County must meet certain income and asset requirements to be eligible for these positions. To be eligible, a family’s income cannot be greater than 133 percent of the federal poverty level ($2,030/month for a family of three; $2,444/month for a family of four), and their liquid resources cannot exceed $2,000. In addition, residents must have a child younger than 18-years old living in their household.
A job fair for Marshall County residents will be held Tuesday, April 20 at the Lewisburg Recreation Center located at 1551 Mooresville Highway from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m. Those interested in the job creation program who meet the eligibility requirements are encouraged to attend the job fair where they will have the opportunity view a list of available positions and complete an application for employment.
The Marshall County jobs package is similar to the program announced in May 2009 for Perry County, which, at the time, had the state’s highest rate of unemployment. More than 400 unemployed individuals found jobs as a result of that effort. At the Perry County announcement, Bredesen stated his desire to make this a model that could be implemented in other high unemployment counties and subsequently announced similar programs in Lauderdale and Hancock counties.
“The goal of this effort is to use Recovery Act funds to provide assistance where it’s needed most, Bredesen said. “Our state’s economy continues to suffer and thousands of Tennesseans are struggling. We’ll continue look for creative ways to assist counties with high rates of unemployment.”
Marshall County residents who need unemployment assistance can contact the Tennessee Career Center at Lewisburg, located at 980 South Ellington Parkway, or call (931) 359-9726.
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