Schools, FRI agree on abatement (6/18/03)

FORT RECOVERY — The Fort Recovery School board unanimously approved a tax abatement with Fort Recovery Industries Inc. Tuesday, reaching an agreement Supt. Pat Niekamp said “works out best for both parties involved.”

Under the 10-year agreement, the school corporation will not lose any money from taxes that would have been collected from the improvements that are being made to FRI. Instead, the company will make a direct payment to the school corporation in an amount agreed upon by both parties involved.

The amount of the payment will vary each year, and is dependent upon money that would have been distributed to the school by the state, and money FRI saves from the tax abatement.

Because the company has buildings in both the Village of Fort Recovery and the Township of Fort Recovery, the board had to approve abatements for each separately.

“We’re not losing any money on this agreement,” Fort Recovery Schools business manager Dennis Ontrop said this morning. “And, (Fort Recovery Industries) is saving a considerable amount of money. Some school districts would have hit them up for much more than that.”

The payments will be made each June, when Niekamp will meet with the controller from FRI, at which time they will go over the annual figures to make sure they agree. The agreement must be approved by the abatement committee before the payment is made.

The abatements were approved for work that is being done at the FRI corporate headquarters and hardware plant, 2440 State Route 49, in the Township of Fort Recovery. That work will cost $1,775,000. Also for work at the company’s assembly/packaging plant and distribution center, located on 500 Industrial Park Drive in the Village of Fort Recovery. That project will cost $365,000.

In other action Tuesday, the board unanimously:

•Approved the monthly financial reports for May of 2003.

•Voted to join the OSBA/NOACSC Group Rating Program of Workers’ Compensation for 2004 at a cost of $1,390 for an administrative fee.

The school corporation is switching companies to save money. This group was selected from a group of bidders, and the OSBA/NOACSC group had the lowest bid. Fort Recovery Schools also receives a discount on the premium because it has had such a low number of claims.

•Agreed to continue membership in the West Central Assistive Technology Center, at a cost of $700. Ontrop said membership with the WCATC more than pays for itself over the course of the school year.

•Voted to continue participation in the Federal Free and Reduced Price Lunch Program for the 2003-2004 school year.

•Approved Butch Wellman as the delegate and Steve Wendel as the alternate to the 2003 OSBA Annual Business Meeting at the Capital Conference in November of 2003.

•Agreed to continue participation in the Federal Title Programs for the 2003-2004 school year.

•Authorized continued membership in the Ohio High School Athletic Association for the 2003-2004 school year for the high school and middle school.

•Voted to adopt the following policies as recommended by the Board Policy Committee: School Volunteers, Interscholastic Extracurricular Eligibility, Animals in the Schools, Types of Funds, Data and Records Retention, Copyright, Video Cameras on Transportation Vehicles and Petty Cash Accounts. These policies were required and recommended by the state.[[In-content Ad]]