North Ridgeville committee keeps Isomer Group tax‑abatement review in committee after school payments made

The North Ridgeville City Council Committee of the Whole on June 2 kept Resolution 2025‑62 — a resolution introduced by Mayor Kevin Corcoran to terminate the community reinvestment area tax‑abatement agreement with Isomer Group Inc. — in committee after hearing that Isomer had made three years of missed school‑donation payments.

The matter matters because the agreement affects the city’s community reinvestment area (CRA) tax abatement terms, payments pledged to the school district, and whether Isomer meets payroll benchmarks tied to its abatement.

Mayor Kevin Corcoran, who introduced the resolution, told the committee that the city’s housing council previously recommended terminating the agreement because Isomer had not made the agreed school donation and its reported payroll fell short of projections. "The school donation has been paid. 3 years of payments have been made by Isomer. And so now the school is whole on their school donations," Corcoran said. He added that the agreement originally projected a payroll of about $1.5 million and that Isomer’s current payroll is "about a million." Corcoran also noted that past practice had sometimes allowed abatements to continue despite payroll shortfalls.

Steve Fariss, identifying himself for the record and giving a North Ridgeville address, told the committee Discount Drug Mart is "always hiring" at the location and estimated the store hires "a hundred plus" people in a given year because of turnover. Fariss said the company made the school payments after an appraisal dispute and that it continues to consider development on adjacent property.

Council members pressed several points during the discussion. Councilman Winkle said he favors being "business friendly" and supported giving the company time, but added that he would oppose continuance if the shortfall recurs next year. Council members also asked about operational details: one asked whether the store planned to add self‑checkout (the company representative said it had resisted self‑checkout) and another asked whether required parking and product‑line conditions in the original approval had been verified (staff and planning commission members said those requirements were reviewed when the project was approved).

After discussion, Councilman Winkle moved "to not send this back to council" for further action; the motion was seconded by Councilwoman Swank and carried on a voice vote. Council President (presiding) said the legislation "will remain essentially in committee" and that the housing council will review the abatement again next April.

No formal vote to terminate the tax‑abatement agreement was recorded at the Committee of the Whole meeting; the committee instead left the resolution in committee pending the housing council’s annual review. The housing council’s earlier recommendation to terminate was based on nonpayment to the schools and the absence, at that time, of the pledged payroll figures.

The record shows the school district has received the three years of owed donations to date and that the city and school treasurer have been notified. The committee did not set a new deadline beyond the housing council’s routine annual review next April.

The decision preserves the status quo for now: Isomer Group Inc. (operating Discount Drug Mart) will continue under the existing abatement while the housing council, which reviews active abatements annually, reassesses compliance at its next scheduled meeting.

For clarity: the resolution under discussion is Resolution 2025‑62, described in committee as terminating the community reinvestment area tax‑abatement agreement between the City of North Ridgeville and Isomer Group Inc.; the housing council had recommended termination before the company made the school payments.