Council asked for abatement

Twelve employees of a Portland factory could soon be returning to work pending a decision by the city council.

Priority Plastics, formerly known as Fortco Plastics, 500 Industrial Park Drive, plans to create new production lines that will bring back 12 employees who were laid off, and create one new position.

The company plans to put in a total of six new machines. Company officials asked for a five-year tax abatement on the purchase of three of the machines, which are expected to cost $2.9 million.

"We think it's a real growth opportunity for us," Steve Jetter, vice president of engineering at Priority, told members of the Portland City Council Monday evening.

The new equipment will allow the company to expand its product lines. The company now plans to make prescription bottles, contact solution bottles, containers for hand cleaner, canisters for wipes and containers for drink supplements. Some of the equipment will be installed this summer.

"We're real excited about it," Jetter said.

Council members voted to send the tax abatement request to the Portland Tax Abatement Advisory Committee for review.

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

Also Monday, a public hearing on a proposed annexation of land north and west of Portland was held.

The land set for annexation is located south of county road 100 North, northwest of Industrial Park Drive and north of Votaw Street. The properties currently are owned by the city, Justin Schafer, Jacqueline Delauter and the owners of Holiday Inn Express. The city-owned property considered for annexation is at Portland Municipal Airport.

At Votaw Street, the western edge of the area being proposed for annexation is near Ja-mar TV & Appliance. That border runs north to just south of county road 100 South, then east to pick up the airport property.

Both Glynn Barber, president of the Portland Aviation Board, and Mike Evans, who serves as an engineer for the aviation board, spoke during the public hearing.

"The airport is a key piece of infrastructure" for the city, Evans said. "(The airport property) is long overdue to be annexed." He said about half of the airport property has been outside of the city limits for several years, although Portland Municipal Airport is owned by the city.

Barber and Evans were the only two members of the public to speak during the hearing.

Kristi Sturtz of Sturtz Public Management Group told council members that they must wait 30 to 60 days to vote on the proposed annexation. After the vote is taken, there will be a 90-day remonstrance period if it is approved, she said.

The annexation would not go into effect until Jan. 1, 2011. She said after the meeting, that the city entered into an agreement with Holiday Inn Express developer Scott Daniels to not remonstrate against the annexation if the city waited at least three years to annex. The agreement was formed on Dec. 20, 2007, Bruce Hosier, mayor of the city, said this morning.

The purpose of the annexation initiated by city officials is to make way for new development.

Also Monday, council members:

•Reviewed the guidelines for changes to the facades of properties located in Portland's Downtown Historic Preservation District.

The guidelines include suggestions for window changes, door replacement and signs.

Council members did not comment or vote on the guidelines. Hosier said, "We'll take that as a support (of the guidelines)."

The mayor said this morning that council members were not required to vote on the guidelines.

•Heard a Portland resident ask for a streetlight to be installed near her home.

Deb Crump, 614 N. Western Ave., said she lives across the street from Haynes Park and feels there needs to be a light there for safety purposes. During some recent thefts at the Wal-Mart Supercenter, the accused thieves have run onto her property and her neighbor's property in attempts to escape police, she said.

Hosier recommended that council members look at the area and possibly vote on the matter at the next meeting, which is scheduled for May 18 at 7 p.m.

•Voted to sell the city's 1988 pumper fire truck to the Bryant Fire Department at a price of $10,000.

The sale was approved by council members as a resolution. Portland recently replaced the older model with a 2008 pumper truck.

•Heard Jeff Harker, street and park department superintendent, report on a recent cleanup week held in the city.

He said during the week of April 6-13, 43 extra tons of trash was collected and taken to the Jay County Landfill. The city was charged $1,773.45 for dumping the trash and used 193 gallons of fuel. The city will have two more cleanup weeks this year.

Harker also reported that the city recently gave away all of its free compost and has about one-fourth of its mulch left.

•Heard Harker ask that city residents not blow their grass clippings onto the street because the grass can clog up catch basins. He added that the city is not picking up grass clippings.

•Learned that Municipal Government Week will be next week.

Hosier said there will be a free cookout for the public on Tuesday, May 12, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. The event will be held behind city hall. On that day, there also will be tours of city departments between 1 and 3 p.m. Hosier suggested that anyone interested in touring the departments call city hall ahead of time at (260) 726-9395.

•Learned that Hosier traveled to Washington D.C. last week and met with U.S. Sens. Richard Lugar and Evan Bayh, along with U.S. Rep. Mike Pence to lobby for federal earmark funds for several city projects. One of the projects Hosier hopes will get earmark money is the Hudson Family Park project. The remaining work is expected to cost $2.75 to $3 million.[[In-content Ad]]