Council takes step back to get it right
Tax abatement
By Debbie Lowe

Carroll County Council had to take a step back to correct an error made earlier in the month when members voted to declare the area occupied by The Andersons, Inc. an economic revitalization area, on a preliminary basis. The declaration is needed to be able to consider a tax abatement request for new bagging equipment.

However, the appropriate action was for the council to adopt a non-binding resolution. That measure was accomplished at a Friday afternoon special meeting.

The resolution dictates the council must find certain conditions hold true before adoption. One condition is the totality of benefits be sufficient to justify the granting of personal property tax deductions to the applicant pursuant to Indiana code.

According to council member Steve Ashby, the amount of tax abated the first year would not be significant enough for the county to experience a negative effect.

Economic Development Corporation Executive Director Daryl Smith said the old bagging equipment would be removed before installation.

County attorney Barry Emerson explained the process for establishing the ordinance. The document must be published within 10 days of the public hearing date, other county taxing units must be notified of the action and the public must be given the opportunity to speak about the matter.

Initially, council members set a night meeting for Nov. 27 as the public hearing date. However, since the timeline changed, the public meeting will be Dec. 28 at 9 a.m. Council's consensus, with Emerson's agreement, was to allow residents to provide input at the November meeting prior to the public meeting. All meetings will be held in the commissioners' meeting room on the second floor of the courthouse.