Freeport Council approves enterprise-zone expansion to support Savencia dairy project

The Freeport City Council voted unanimously to amend the Northwest Illinois Enterprise Zone to add 104.39 acres for the Diamond Savencia project, enabling a $6,900,000 plant expansion that council staff said will create 42 jobs at a Lena facility.

City staff presented the boundary change and requested council approval so the project could proceed. Andrea Schultz, a staff member who presented the item, said the expansion “will create 42 jobs at the Lena facility” and noted that roughly 40% of Savencia’s workforce — about 52 employees — live in Freeport.

The ordinance changes the enterprise-zone map for the regional Northwest Illinois Enterprise Zone, a state-authorized program that local units of government use to attract investment by offering site-specific incentives. Schultz told the council the zone is capped at 20 square miles and that adding the Savencia acreage would bring the zone to about 13.6648 square miles, leaving capacity for future additions.

Council members moved and adopted both the ordinance and a parallel amendment to the intergovernmental agreement that governs the six participating jurisdictions. The council approved suspension of the rules to consider the ordinance promptly and then voted to adopt the change. Roll calls on suspension and final passage showed unanimous support from members present.

Why it matters: the enterprise-zone expansion clears a local approval hurdle so Diamond Savencia — formerly identified in staff materials as Colbelina — can start a summer construction timeline using local contractors and recruit additional workers to the region.

The council approved the ordinance and the IGA amendment by recorded votes; the ordinance passed on final reading and the IGA amendment was adopted by the council.