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Bryan County approves $500,000 settlement and mutual release with Caesarstone Technologies USA
Summary
The board approved a mutual release and settlement requiring Caesarstone Technologies USA to pay $500,000 to Bryan County within five business days and to acknowledge that future property taxes will be due and payable as of 2025; the agreement resolves a dispute tied to prior tax-incentive master agreements and bond termination documents.
The Bryan County Board of Commissioners approved a mutual release and settlement agreement with Caesarstone Technologies USA that requires Caesarstone to pay $500,000 to the county within five business days and to acknowledge that property taxes moving forward will be due and payable as of 2025.
A staff member read background material into the record: Caesarstone had entered into master agreements with the Development Authority of Bryan County and the city of Richmond Hill providing for property tax incentives and deductions. According to the background read at the meeting, Caesarstone announced in December 2023 that it had decided to shut down and cease operations at its Richmond Hill facility. The Development Authority later executed termination of bond documents on June 26, 2024, which the termination described as acknowledging Caesarstone had not met all obligations and stating that property tax incentives and reductions were not subject to repayment, according to the text read into the record.
The county had previously authorized the county attorney to investigate and, if appropriate, make demand on Caesarstone; the county attorney conducted an investigation and made a demand before the board had received the termination of bond documents, the meeting record shows. Negotiations followed and resulted in a proposed mutual release and settlement requiring the $500,000 payment and an acknowledgement of future tax liability. The board moved to approve the mutual release and settlement agreement; the motion carried. The meeting record also notes two commissioners recorded votes of "no" during the matter and the final recorded statements indicate at least two nays and multiple yeses, though a roll-call tally with individual names is not fully specified in the transcript.
The agreement as read requires Caesarstone to make the payment to the county within five business days of the execution of the agreement and acknowledges taxes due and payable starting in 2025 per the recorded language.
