County asked to place five-year PILOT for $70 million air‑separation plant on next agenda

Doug, a representative of the Industrial Development Board, asked the Bradley County Commission to place a resolution on next week’s voting-session agenda that would authorize a payment‑in‑lieu‑of‑tax (PILOT) agreement with Lindy Incorporated.

"What you have before you today, and I've asked politely that you'd place on the agenda for next week's voting session, is a resolution, that would authorize the Industrial Development Board to enter into a payment in lieu of tax agreement with Lindy Incorporated," Doug said.

The proposal, as described at the meeting, covers a planned air‑separation unit to be built on roughly 10 acres at Exit 33. Doug said the project represents a $70,000,000 investment, would create 18 new full‑time jobs at an average wage of $85,000, and produce liquid oxygen to be shipped to non‑TVA power plants, argon for a local defense contractor and nitrogen for the Bakker plant.

"There will be 18 new full time jobs associated with this operation, at an average wage of 85,000 per employee," Doug said. He also outlined tax and revenue estimates tied to a proposed five‑year, personal‑property‑only PILOT that would give a 37.5 percent discount on personal property taxes for the company.

Doug provided the commission’s modeling of projected fiscal impacts for the period described: roughly $205,493 in savings to the company over five years on personal property, about $342,489 in personal‑property tax revenue to the county over the same period, and an estimated $112,984 a year in real‑property taxes. He also said payroll would be roughly $1,500,000 annually and that economic modeling suggested the 18 positions could create another 44 indirect jobs.

The board did not vote on the PILOT at the meeting. Mayor Davis confirmed the item would be placed on the commission’s agenda for the next Monday voting session for formal consideration.

Why it matters: A PILOT can lower near‑term tax bills on new equipment or personal property to encourage investment; commissioners will weigh projected job creation and secondary economic effects against the tax discount being requested. The item will return for a formal vote at the next scheduled voting session.

What happens next: The resolution was placed on the next voting session agenda so commissioners can consider and vote on the PILOT. No formal action on the PILOT was taken at this meeting.