|
Salina, Kan., commissioners approve tax break for manufacturer
(Salina Journal (KS) (KRT) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Jul. 22--With little discussion, Salina City commissioners on Monday unanimously approved a nearly $2.2 million tax break for Great Plains Manufacturing that will allow it to build $5.69 million in additions and add 50 workers.
Those jobs, which pay about $13.25 an hour, will be added to the Salina work force by 2010.
"The big thing is you have an existing employer who is continuing to make an investment in the community," Dennis W. Lauver, president of the Salina Area Chamber of Commerce, said after the meeting. "While some parts of the country are seeing job growth flatten out, that's not the situation here." At the meeting, Lauver spoke briefly in support of the tax exemption.
Currently, Great Plains Manufacturing averages 850 jobs in Salina.
The additional 50 jobs are expected to add about $1.4 million to the manufacturer's payroll.
The exemption is for an expansion of the company's production and warehouse space. In all, about 170,000 square feet will be added.
The terms of the exemption stipulate that construction needs to be complete within 18 months of granting the exemption. The exemption is for 100 percent of the property tax owed on the new construction for the first five years and 50 percent from years six through 10. After 10 years, the addition will be fully taxable. Great Plains would continue to pay property tax on its current buildings.
This is the second time Great Plains Manufacturing has received an exemption from the city. Hall said during the meeting that the first exemption was about 20 years ago. One of the proposed expansions is onto the building that resulted from the first exemption.
The company, which manufactures a broad line of agricultural planting, seeding, tillage and spraying equipment, made a similar tax abatement request recently after purchasing the 130,000-square-foot Ell-Kan Building in northeast Ellsworth. About 50 jobs were added in Ellsworth.
Great Plains has two divisions and operations in Salina, Lucas, Kipp, Abilene, Enterprise, Assaria and Tipton.
To see more of The Salina Journal, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.saljournal.com.
Copyright (c) 2008, The Salina Journal, Kan.
Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.
For reprints, email tmsreprints@permissionsgroup.com, call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA.
[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
|