Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
BOURBON - Representa-tives of United Technologies Automotive of Bourbon asked the town council Tuesday for a tax abatement for the purchase of manufacturing equipment.
Speaking for UTA, consultant Tom Blackwell said the tax abatement would apply to the purchase of $1.731 million in new manufacturing equipment to be used to diversify the product line and the customer base. The equipment would have an assessed valuation of $223,467.
Blackwell said that approximately 75 percent of the present business of the Bourbon UTA plant is with Chrysler Corp. and, if the local plant is chosen, the new equipment would be used to produce components for the Toyota truck line. According to Blackwell, the addition of Toyota as a customer would give stability to the local plant and an estimated 20 new jobs would be added, resulting in an additional $560,000 annually going into the local economy from salaries.
Blackwell asked for a 10-year abatement, but council president Bill Keyser said, "I don't think we want to talk about 10 years (abatement). The town needs to maintain continuity in the area of abatements. We can't treat UTA different than other industries which have been granted abatements of five years." He reminded the council that UTA was granted a six-year tax abatement in 1996.
Keyser said it was not possible to answer the abatement request until a public hearing is held. Notice of the hearing must appear two times in a local paper which publishes weekly. The first date possible to meet those requirements is Aug. 18 at 7 p.m.
In other business, which was conducted by flashlight after a power failure during a thunderstorm:
• Wayne Hanes was given approval to do cement work to widen the turning radius at both Main and Jackson streets and Main Street and Shaffer Road. City employees will remove the present curbs and dig the area to be cemented, which Hanes will do for $4,500, a considerable savings over Rieth-Riley's bid of $14,940.
• Rieth-Riley has begun the work on Ind. 331, which is Main Street through town. The storm basins will be replaced, the pavement ground down in the business district and the entire length resurfaced.
• Council members learned that a portion of the ceiling in the ambulance garage came down recently because of a leak in the roof. That part of the roof was repaired nearly 10 years ago. EMS officials will get quotes to repair or replace the roof.
• A committee of local citizens was established to determine the common construction wage to be paid in conjunction with the work on the town hall renovation. This group will meet with labor unions and local contractors to determine these wages. Terry Clemens will represent the county; Tom Sell, industry; and Bill Keyser, the town council.
