By Michelle Ye Hee Lee | The Republic
The Maricopa County Board of Supervisors this morning canceled its economic development contract with First Solar Inc. — two and half years after agreeing to provide a $20 million subsidy for the company to create thousands of jobs in the Valley.
The county and state in April 2011 agreed to provide economic-development incentives for the Tempe-based company, but the company recently has faced financial and regulatory issues.
A termination agreement says First Solar and the county decided to end the contract after the company decided to stop its activities at a Mesa facility, “due to various business and economic factors.”