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Columbus council approves 10-year tax abatement for Applied Laboratories expansion
Summary
The Columbus Common Council on May 6 approved a resolution granting a 10-year tax abatement to Applied Laboratories for a proposed $6.5 million real-property expansion that city staff said will retain 193 jobs and add 105,000 square feet to the company’s facility.
The Columbus Common Council voted 8-0 on May 6 to approve a 10-year tax abatement for Applied Laboratories Inc. to support an expansion at its headquarters near Indianapolis Road.
City staff told the council the company is requesting a 10-year abatement tied to roughly $6,500,000 in real-property investment to add 105,000 square feet to its existing 165,000-square-foot facility for a total of 270,000 square feet. Staff estimated the abatement would save the company about $77,000 over the next 10 years while increasing the tax base by about $588,000 over that same period.
The project was described as retaining 193 full-time jobs at an average wage of $22.44 an hour (the staff presentation noted the county median wage of $22.35), plus approximately 72 contract employees. Jeff Logsdon, president of Applied Laboratories, attended the meeting to answer questions about the company’s operations and growth since 2023.
Council members praised the investment. One council member told the company, “thank you for continuing to chew in Columbus and looking forward to supporting this,” and the item moved to a roll-call vote. The council resolution as read referenced Indiana Code 6-1.1-12.1 and authorized the council president to execute required Statement of Benefits forms for Applied Laboratories and associated property owners.
The council’s vote followed a prior review by the city’s incentive review committee, which the clerk said had found the application to be in substantial compliance prior to the council meeting.
The approval was procedural: the council passed the resolution on the motion recorded in the meeting and completed a roll-call vote with all eight present members voting in favor.
Council members and staff did not identify any new financing commitments beyond the abatement terms presented at the meeting, and no public speakers addressed the item during the public-comment window.
