July 23, 2014 at 2:10 p.m.

Abatement approved for Tyson

Portland City Council

By Rachelle [email protected]

A local business will soon be hiring 27 new employees.

The Portland City Council has approved a tax abatement for Tyson Foods on the purchase of equipment for a new product line.

The addition of the line is expected to create 27 additional jobs, with salaries totaling $756,000.

The Portland Tax Abatement Advisory Committee reviewed the five-year tax abatement request and recommended that the council approve it, said Bill Bradley, executive director of Jay County Development Corporation.

Tyson will purchase $940,000 in equipment for a new baked corn tortilla line.

A tax abatement phases in property taxes on new investments over a period of years.

In other business Monday, council members approved a resolution for the city to be reimbursed for engineering work on the north side sewer separation project.

Greg Guerrettaz of Financial Solutions Group said the resolution states that any engineering costs the city pays for the project could be reimbursed through bonds, if the city decides to bond for the storm and sanitary sewer separation project. The maximum amount the city could bond for the project would be $8 million, he said.

The state is mandating that all combined storm and wastewater sewers be separated.

Also Monday, council members:

•Heard councilman Kent McClung's concerns about the city being able to afford a new pool.

McClung, who is a former member of the Portland Park Board, said he is concerned that if the city bonds for the remaining work at Hudson Family Park, there won't be funds available for a new pool.

"My fear is if we do this right now and the pool collapses, can we replace the pool or do we have to wait until the bonds are paid off?"

Guerrettaz said there are several funding options for a new pool, and that the bonds the city is considering for the park could be paid off in 20 years.

Bruce Hosier, mayor of Portland, said the city is considering dong the bonding in two parts. The first series would be for the park, and the second would be for the pool. (See related story.)

•Learned that the city's annual cookout in celebration of Municipal Government Week will be held Tuesday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

The event will be held behind Portland City Hall, 321 N. Meridian St., and is free to the public and city officials. Also, tours of all city departments will be held from 1 to 3 p.m. that day.[[In-content Ad]]
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