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Nixon, Slay tout NGA support

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — The National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency is planning on leaving its St. Louis location to build a new billion-dollar western headquarters, and Missouri’s pitch to keep the agency became more clear today.

The NGA is expected to make a decision on its new HQ — estimated at $1.6 billion and at least 3,000 permanent jobs — next year. Their current western headquarters is located in St. Louis, but the agency is now debating between Missouri and Illinoi to locate its new digs.

House Bill 514, passed earlier this year by the legislature, would probably draw little notice other than for its impact on the NGA decision. The bill gives additional capacity to the State Supplemental Tax Increment Financing program to support a “performance-based redevelopment program” of the size of the NGA’s new home.

The NGA has long been located in or around St. Louis, and Gov. Jay Nixon signed HB514 today, saying the bill put the state in a position to keep the agency in Missouri’s boarders.

“This bill is another example of Missouri’s bipartisan commitment to building a brighter, more prosperous future for the St. Louis region,” Gov. Nixon said. “For decades, the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency has played a central role in our nation’s security and in the St. Louis region’s economy – providing thousands of high-tech, high-paying jobs.  This bill will put Missouri in the strongest possible position to keep these jobs in the Show-Me State, and keep this region’s economy moving forward.”

St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay quickly issued a release thanking Nixon for the signature. According to Slay’s staff, the average annual NGA salary is roughly $75,000. City officials credit the NGA for generating $2.4 million in earnings tax revenues and say its employees pay nearly $8 million in state withholding taxes annually.

“Gov. Nixon understands the importance of putting us in the best possible position to keep Missouri jobs in Missouri,” Mayor Slay said. “It is imperative that together we do everything we can to save thousands of jobs and bring the first large-scale economic development project to North St. Louis in decades.”

The City Land Clearance for Redevelopment Authority is currently working to assemble 100 acres for the new NGA HQ.