Baker Tilly presented a proposal to standardize and modernize Owen County’s tax-abatement application, scoring and monitoring process. The county commissioners heard the presentation from Neil Richardson of Baker Tilly and discussed next steps with staff and local officials.

Richardson said the firm would produce a clear application and scorecard, provide cost-benefit analysis for taxing districts, and write clawback and reporting provisions. He estimated the initial structuring and policy work would cost roughly $50,000 for a county the size of Owen, and suggested ongoing developer-paid fees sized to the incentive (he described a range of about 0.1% to 0.25% of the incentive value, and an illustrative $15,000 fee on a $5 million project). Baker Tilly also recommended an upfront application fee and an annual monitoring fee to recoup program costs.

Commissioners and county staff emphasized the need to coordinate closely with town leaders — the town has its own practices and some fee structures in place — and several commissioners asked for a joint meeting or workshop so county and town officials can review the proposed scorecard, costs and sample analyses together. One commissioner expressed concern that Baker Tilly’s scale and prices were developed for larger municipalities and asked the firm to tailor deliverables and pricing for smaller jurisdictions.

Richardson said Baker Tilly would present to the county council later in the month and proposed a 90-day timetable for the initial assessment and draft policy, subject to the joint review and any legal or statutory changes pending at the state level.

The board did not vote on Baker Tilly’s proposal at the meeting and asked staff to arrange a joint session with town officials and the council before making a funding or contracting decision.