Council forwards tax abatement proposals

Two local businesses will be considered for tax abatements after unexpected difficulties.
Portland City Council voted to forward two tax abatement proposals for Fisher Meats and Fort Recovery Industries to the Tax Abatement Advisory Committee.
Council also approved additional appropriations for the mayor’s office and voted to close streets for Jay County Chamber of Commerce WinterFest.
Bill Bradley, executive director of Jay County Development Corporation, presented tax abatement proposals for Fisher Meats and Fort Recovery Industries.
The abatement for Fisher Meats would apply to $375,000 in improvements to its current facility. Fisher Meats suffered substantial damage from a fire in July, and repair work is ongoing. Over the course of the 10 year abatement, the company would save about $51,000.
“During that 10-year period, we’re looking at 19 jobs retained, with another five created,” Bradley explained.
An additional five-year abatement request for $100,000 of new equipment was also approved, estimated to save Fisher Meats about $3,700.
Council also heard an abatement request from Larry Holmes of Fort Recovery Industries.
“We had a piece of equipment that had a premature failure … it’s a piece of equipment we purchased used and had refurbished as part of opening the plant in 2011. Normally we would expect to get seven to 10 years before we do an original rebuild, and this piece of equipment we’d normally expect to have for close to 20 years, maybe longer,” Holmes explained. “So this is a painful event for us, because these are dollars that are not really going to be earmarked to expanding the business.”
The abatement would apply to a $1,725,000 piece of equipment. Over the period of five years, it would save the company about $56,000, and would help retain 40 jobs.
Council voted to forward the abatements for both companies to the city’s tax abatement advisory committee.
Mayor Randy Geesaman also proposed an ordinance to approve additional appropriations for the mayor’s office. The appropriations would include $4,000 to cover the pay of the mayor’s secretary, Carol Geesaman, for her full-time role for the remainder of the year. Other line items included $500 for office supplies, $1,000 for communication and transportation, $1,000 for part time salaries, $1,000 for promotion and $600 for subscriptions and dues. Council approved the appropriation, which totaled $8,100.
Council also voted to approve a street closure for Jay County Chamber of Commerce’s WinterFest. Chamber executive director Dean Sanders proposed closing three streets on the courthouse square on Nov. 19 to allow carriage rides. The closure would include Commerce, Walnut and Main Streets around the courthouse.
Sanders explained that in 2015 all of the streets weren’t closed, and the sound of traffic agitated one of the carriage horses and forced it to be taken away from the event, leaving only one carriage. Council members Mark Hedges, Janet Powers, Bill Gibson, Judy Aker, Michele Brewster, Kent McClung and Don Gillespie approved the proposal for the streets to be closed from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Nov. 19.
In other business, council:
•Set trick or treat time for 5-7 p.m. Oct. 29 to avoid conflict with merchants’ trick or treat on Oct. 31 and also have it on a weekend instead of a school night.
•Heard an inquiry from Hedges on the progress of road work by Milestone Paving in a contract to repave eight streets in the city. Geesaman explained that he thinks the contractor won’t begin until spring, but suggested that in the future the city include a time stipulation when accepting contract bids.
•Tabled a proposal to add a four-way stop at the intersection of North and Middle streets in order to wait for a report from Portland Police Department on the number of accidents at the intersection over the last few years.