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County staff: EDA funds cannot be used for wages; resident urges tougher Mammoth Solar terms
Summary
A county staff member told the council EDA payments are restricted and cannot be used for county wages; during public comment a resident urged the council to use leverage with Mammoth Solar to secure more revenue for the county instead of offering tax abatements.
A county staff member told the council that Economic Development Agreement (EDA) payments have restrictions and “wages, county wages aren’t one of them,” and that the council should not expect EDA funds to offset general fund payroll. The staff member said they would provide written documentation to the council the following day.
The staff statement drew a brief floor disagreement from another participant who said “Yes. They can,” but the staff member clarified the restrictions and offered to email the supporting material.
During public comment, a resident urged the council to extract more revenue from a large solar company operating in the county rather than grant further tax abatements. The resident said the company had limited alternatives in Indiana and that Pulaski County was leaving “huge amounts of money on the table” by offering abatements or lenient terms. The speaker recommended the council use its leverage to secure greater economic development payments and warned against giving up revenue while the county faces a multi-million-dollar budget gap.
The council heard these comments in the budget context as members debated personnel costs and fund sources. Staff committed to provide the council with the factual information and constraints on EDA/LEHI funds for their consideration before finalizing budget allocations.
