Schuylkill County commissioners on Wednesday took another step to finalize a new funding mechanism for Highridge business park by approving an ordinance allowing the county to partner with other entities to establish a joint municipal authority.

Prior to their regular public meeting, commissioners held a brief public hearing on the ordinance that would create the joint authority with Cass and Foster townships, the Minersville Area School District, and the Schuylkill County Industrial Development Authority.The authority would oversee the proposed Highridge ImprovementDistrict.During their regular public meeting about an hour later, commissioners approved the ordinance, and appointed county Administrator Mark Scarbinsky to a two-year term on the joint authority."This is just one more tool in the toolbox, from an economic development perspective, to support the strategies to create more jobs and more investment in the county," Scarbinsky said.When commissioners meet at 10 a.m. July 22, they expect to approve an ordinance creating the Highridge Improvement District by establishing a Neighborhood Improvement District in the area that includes the business park and the nearby Schuylkill Airport business park.Neighborhood Improvement Districts are areas in which a special assessment is levied on all but tax-exempt properties within its confines. The revenue is used to maintain improvements to thedistrict.The Neighborhood Improvement District is a necessary step to establish the Highridge Improvement District.The Highridge Improvement District would replace the Tax Increment Financing mechanism that built the park in 1997.The park has been managed by the Schuylkill County Industrial Development Authority, with day-to-day operations governed by the Schuylkill Economic Development Corporation.Now, the initial debts have been paid., and the maintenance of capital improvements in the park need to be addressed, and establishing the HID is expected to do that.The action to allow the county to partner with the joint authority is "to make sure the Highridge Business Park is solvent as we go into the future. It's been a very successful project since it's inception," said commissioners Chairman Frank J. Staudenmeier."This Neighborhood Improvement District will ensure the infrastructure continues, and that jobs continue up there," said Commissioner Gary J. Hess. "It was a great investment years ago, and it's another great investment that we can move forward.""I'm very proud of the public-private partnership that we have," saidCommissioner George F. Halcovage Jr. "The cooperation we have pushing this forward, I believewe have a very bright future."The other entities have all approved the joint authority.No members of the public attended the hearing.The 2,428-acre park, along Interstate 81 in Cass and Foster townships, houses Lowe's, Wegman's, Walmart, Electrolux, Sara Lee and other distribution centers.