GOVERNMENT INCENTIVES

Doug served as General Counsel to the Kentucky Cabinet for Economic Development during the Jones Administration. As General Counsel, he was responsible for advising the Cabinet, the Kentucky Economic Development Partnership, and the Kentucky Economic Development Finance Authority (KEDFA), on economic development financial incentives, loans, grants, and tax credit transactions, as well as legal and policy issues, internal investigations and compliance, employment matters, legislation drafting and negotiation, administrative law, ethics compliance, venture capital, commercial litigation, and bankruptcy issues. While serving as the Cabinet’s General Counsel, Doug authored the Kentucky Investment Fund Act and the Kentucky Workforce Development Act, and co-authored the 1994 omnibus revisions to Kentucky’s economic development financial incentives statutes.

Since leaving the Cabinet, Doug has represented private businesses and local government in economic development financial incentives, loans, grants, tax credits, and tax increment financing. He also successfully defended the Cabinet for Economic Development in an enforcement action brought by the Internal Revenue Service challenging the tax-exempt status of bonds issued by the Cabinet exceeding $100 million.

Doug is a frequent speaker on federal, state, and local government financial incentives, and is the author of “Government Assistance & Incentive Programs For Real Estate,” Chapter 9, Kentucky Real Estate Practice Handbook (UK CLE, 2013).

REPRESENTATIVE MATTERS

  • Drafting and negotiation of tax increment financing incentives on behalf of a Kentucky city for a multi-use residential, commercial, and industrial development project.
  • Drafting and negotiation of tax credit financing for a Kentucky-based multi-national corporation.
  • Drafting and negotiation of financial incentives for the Louisville Slugger Museum in Louisville, Kentucky.
  • Drafting and negotiation of financial incentives for redevelopment of the Louisville Waterfront in the 1990’s.
  • Drafting and negotiation of economic development bond grants to local governments.
  • Drafting and negotiation of coal severance grants for local and regional industrial parks.
  • Review and advice to local government on HUD Community Development Block Grants.
  • Negotiation and documentation of an Ag Credit loan in excess of $10 million for the purchase of an agricultural facility.