Scottsburg council elects new president, approves tax abatement for local manufacturer

Ritchie Barton was elected council president and the Scottsburg City Council approved a tax-abatement resolution for a local manufacturer during its Jan. 13 meeting at City Hall.

The council voted to approve Resolution 2025-R-1, a preliminary declaration and regulatory resolution designating an economic revitalization grant and approving a phased property-tax abatement for Jim Pack to support an expansion of its Scottsburg facility. Council members said the project will add 49 new positions, follow an investment of more than $7,000,000 in machinery and equipment, and is expected to start in February and finish by the end of the year.

The resolution passed on a recorded outcome of three ayes and two nos, after council discussion about the company’s existing tax status and a typographical error in the draft resolution. The document as presented included a contractor name that officials said was mistakenly left from a template; council members agreed that correction is administrative and does not change the substance of the agreement.

Why it matters: The abatement phases in the taxes on the increased capital assessment over the next 10 years rather than forgiving taxes outright, a mechanism the council said will encourage reinvestment and job growth at the local facility.

Council and staff said the company currently employs roughly 139 people in Scottsburg and that the newly created positions were described as paying above the Scott County average wage. Jeff Hebert, identified by council members as the executive in charge of the company’s local plants, told the council, “we're ready to invest and keep going and keep the people employed.”

Council members asked for clarifications during the discussion, including whether the company was already under any current tax abatement in Scottsburg and confirmation of which tax year the new assessment would be first billed; staff replied that the new assessment would be taxed in the 2027 cycle (taxes assessed 2026 and due 2027) and that the company was not currently in an abatement program in the city. Council also noted a typographical error in the packet (a name left from another document) and directed staff to correct that text in the final agreement before publishing the finalized resolution.

Elections and appointments: The council filled its internal leadership and committee posts. After nominations, Ritchie Barton was elected council president for 2025. The council also confirmed committee assignments, including Councilmember Tim Hall remaining on the finance committee and Kevin Smallwood as the council’s nominee to the Economic Development Commission; Daryl Sykes was confirmed to the city’s code enforcement board. Those appointments were approved by the council during the meeting.

Procedural action: The council also voted to suspend rules to allow a billing-related ordinance to advance on a third reading so changes could take effect in February rather than delay implementation by a month; the motion to suspend the rules was seconded and the presiding officer put the question, with the council voting in the affirmative.

The city manager and company representatives said the city will issue a press release announcing the project and its timeline. Staff notified council members that a legal opinion from Indianapolis delayed posting of the meeting agenda earlier the same day, and apologized for the late packet availability.

No members of the public spoke during a scheduled public hearing on a proposed sewer rate amendment or during the public-comment portion of the meeting.