From Tribune staff reports

Small towns and townships within Freeborn County are invited to inquire about the county’s joint application for a tax-free zone from the state at a meeting this Thursday at the Freeborn-Mower Cooperative Services building at 2501 E. Main St. at 7 p.m.

The state is accepting applications for ten 5,000 acre, tax-free, or Job Opportunity Building Zones (JOBZ) from regions across the state. Freeborn County, along with 11 other counties, is applying as the I-90 corridor region.

Each county will get approximately 416 acres of tax free land. Though Albert Lea would get much of that acreage, there are still many acres to be given out.

Thursday, the application coordinator for Albert Lea and Freeborn County, Ed Tschida, will be speaking at the meeting.

Call Tschida at (507) 387-7117 with questions.