Next month, Symmetry Medical USA plans to formally request a tax abatement from the Kosciusko County Council.

If approved, Symmetry will add approximately 34 local jobs with an average salary of approximately $59,000, according to Regan Ford of Regan Ford Enterprises Inc., economic development consultants, Kendallville, representing Symmetry.

Wednesday, the county council approved the abatement declaratory resolution, which is preliminary approval to hold the hearing for the abatement.

The abatement will be for research and development equipment.

"That's what we're talking about here," Ford said.

Symmetry recently merged with a United Kingdom company and, he said, Symmetry "is a growing company." Since the merger, Ford said, Symmetry added 100 jobs.

Kosciusko County Auditor Sue Ann Mitchell said the economic development revitalization area, if the abatement is approved, is in Plain Township, outside the Warsaw city limits.

Symmetry Medical USA includes Othy and several other worldwide corporations, Ford said.

Also, the county council approved the continuation for 2004 of Wabash Valley Manufacturing Inc.'s abatement by a vote of 6 to 1. Opposed was councilman Tom Anglin.

Council chairman Harold Jones said he saw nothing to indicate the company has not lived up to their promises made for the abatement.

In other business, the county council:

• Approved an ordinance establishing monthly distributions to the Kosciusko County Convention and Visitors Bureau commission - instead of quarterly to CVB Inc. The commission also must prepare and present a new 2004 budget for the county council's approval.

County council chairman Harold Jones said he read the ordinance and found "nothing offensive" to the council.

• Approved not to allow County Option Income Tax monies to be used for the Kosciusko County Solid Waste Management District. Each year the council must vote on whether or not to allow the district money and each year they decide not to allow the monies to the district.

• Approved County Prosecutor Steve Hearn's request for an additional appropriation of $3,560 for in-car videos for the Winona Lake Police Department from fees from the infraction deferral program.

• Approved Hearn's request for an additional position in the Title IVD (child support enforcement) office. Two-thirds of the position's salary will be paid by the state. A salary ordinance and additional appropriation for the position will be made at April's county council meeting.

• Approved a request by county coroner Larry Ladd to transfer $1,000 from his "other supplies" account to apply toward match money for a grant for the purchase of digital cameras.

• Approved Mitchell's request to fill the two positions she recently had come open in her office. The county council now requires that before any department fills a vacancy, the department head seek permission from the county council except in cases of emergency.

Mitchell said the county assessor's office rolled the property values of 14 of the 17 townships to her office Wednesday. If the values had been rolled to her office one at a time as they came in, Mitchell said, she could have posted the exemptions for those townships as they came in. Now, she has less time to do what she needs to do to keep on time with the deadline for tax billing and disbursement she promised.

By filling the two positions, she hopes to keep on target.

Later, county assessor Laurie Renier said the assessors are working "very hard" to have the figures to Mitchell by the proposed deadline.

"It's been a big job for all the assessors for all the appeals we have," she said. "We are working hard to get our job done." [[In-content Ad]]