City OKs Proceeding With Flexaust Tax Abatement Request
Posted
Jennifer Peryam-jperyam@timesuniononline.com
Flexaust Company Inc. wants to create additional jobs and expand its operations in Warsaw.
During Monday night's Warsaw City Council meeting, the business requested a 10-year tax abatement on real and personal property at 602 Leiter Drive, Warsaw. The business is currently located at 1510 Armstrong Road, Warsaw.
Flexaust is estimating the real property improvements to cost approximately $566,000, with an additional $2.1 million in new manufacturing equipment.
In addition to the real and personal property expenses, they are anticipating the addition of 25 new jobs over the next four years.
The council unanimously approved proceeding with the tax abatement, and setting a public hearing for the tax abatement request.
The public hearing will be in March.
Rick Helm, attorney representing the business, said the company does not currently have enough room at its current location for operations. He also said moving to the Leiter Drive location will triple space and provide more parking.
Helm said the Leiter Drive property is vacant and was a mattress factory for the RV industry.
Flexaust is anticipating the purchase of the vacant property on Leiter Drive, as well as the purchase of new manufacturing equipment.
Also during the meeting, Warsaw City Planner Jeremy Skinner said Warsaw City Council and Warsaw Redevelopment Commission will meet in executive session Monday at 5:30 p.m. at city hall.
The executive session is to discuss a request by Winona PVD Coatings LLC, 1180 Polk Drive, Warsaw, for a presentation of a possible tax increment financing incentive for the business.
Skinner said the city council and redevelopment commission would need to vote on the request in a public meeting, and a public hearing would need to be scheduled.
Skinner said the redevelopment commission and city council would need to vote on the issue in March and April, and if the tax increment financing incentive is approved it could mean job creation for the company.
The council tabled approving an itinerant merchants and peddlers ordinance to allow city attorney Mike Valentine and Skinner to further review the ordinance.
Mike Diffendal, Borden Waste-Away general operations manager, attended the meeting and said the company will continue to deliver the 96-gallon recycling carts this month to participating residents.
The deliveries will be in coordination with the Warsaw Street Department on the participants' service days.
Borden will deliver a cart while the street department picks up the blue city recycling carts.
Residents are asked to leave their city carts out on their scheduled route day to allow the city to pick up the cart when the new cart is delivered.
The council also reviewed a letter from Warsaw resident Kevin Kendrick regarding city snow removal.
The letter stated the city did a fabulous job in clearing the streets and providing safe travel during the recent blizzard.
Councilman Joe Thallemer also said he received comments with the same sentiments.
The council reviewed a Warsaw-Wayne Township Fire Territory report for 2010 with 1,305 responses.
