Decatur City Council adopts declaratory resolution to start tax-abatement process for Hoosier Pattern

Decatur City Council on Feb. 18 adopted a declaratory resolution to begin the tax-abatement process for Hoosier Pattern, Inc. and RH Warehouse LLC, approving a standard abatement schedule that would use a 10-year schedule for real property and a five-year schedule for personal property and scheduling a public hearing for March 18 to consider a confirming resolution.

The resolution, introduced by short title as Resolution 2025-1, designates an economic revitalization area based on a petition from Hoosier Pattern and an application filed by RH Warehouse LLC. Council adopted the declaratory resolution in a voice vote; all five members present voted in favor. The declaratory resolution authorizes staff to attach an abatement schedule (an exhibit) that will list the number of years and percentage reductions for each category of property.

The petition asks that real property abatement run 10 years and that personal property abatement run five years; council accepted adopting the city’s customary schedules instead: a 10-year real-property abatement with a 10% reduction per year, and a five-year personal-property abatement with a 20% reduction per year. City attorney or staff explained those schedules were not written into the draft declaratory resolution as an exhibit and will be appended before the public hearing.

A company representative for Hoosier Pattern said the firm has expanded its sand-printing operations and recently invested “a little over $1,700,000” to buy two new stamp printers to serve aerospace and other customers. The representative described existing customers and said the investment is intended to secure growing aerospace work. Colton Bickel of Adams County Economic Development Corporation authored the petition and proposed schedule included with the application, the council was told.

Several council members said they were comfortable moving ahead with the city’s standard 10-year/5-year schedule for the declaratory resolution but reiterated a desire to develop a more objective, formulaic process for future abatements. One council member noted that other municipalities use point systems to evaluate abatement requests and asked staff to work toward a clearer, less subjective standard.

Formal action taken: council introduced and passed Declaratory Resolution 2025-1 to designate an economic revitalization area for Hoosier Pattern, Inc. and RH Warehouse LLC. The council voted to adopt the resolution and scheduled a public hearing on the confirming resolution for the council’s March meeting (March 18).

Next steps: staff will attach the abatement schedule as an exhibit to Resolution 2025-1 and publish hearing notice; the matter will return to council for a public hearing and then a confirming resolution vote.