Whitestown council approves five-year personal-property tax abatement for Ring Container Technologies

Whitestown — The Whitestown Town Council unanimously approved a resolution awarding a five-year business personal-property tax abatement to Ring Container Technologies, the council voted 5-0 after a presentation by the county economic development authority and company representatives.

Andrea Kern, chief executive officer of the Boone Economic Development Corporation, told the council Ring plans to lease space at 5650 Belcher Way and make a $77 million investment, including $8 million in real property and $69 million in personal property. Kern said the company expects to create 56 new jobs at an average wage of nearly $30 an hour, not including benefits.

Why it matters: Council members said the project will diversify Whitestown’s tax base and bring advanced manufacturing employment to the town. The abatement applies to business personal property and is structured as 100% exemption in year 1, 80% year 2, 60% year 3, 40% year 4 and 20% year 5. The council’s approval authorizes the town to support Ring’s application for local tax relief; the council recorded a 5-0 vote in favor.

Details of the proposal: Alex Miller of KSM, a site-selection consultant representing Ring, said the $69 million in personal property is for injection stretch-blow molding equipment. Miller said the equipment will be installed over four to five years and that Ring plans to sign a 10-year lease with a possible 10-year extension. Tim Farrell, Ring’s senior vice president for sales and marketing, described the company’s community engagement programs at other U.S. locations and said Ring intends to be a long-term local partner.

Council discussion and fiscal context: Council members asked procedural questions about whether any portion of the abatement is passed through to local public safety or schools; staff clarified the request concerns business personal property and that the usual statutory allocations apply. One councilmember noted the town and county economic development bodies had reviewed the proposal; another councilmember cautioned the town should be careful about stacking personal-property abatements on top of other real-property abatements in future deals.

Outcome and next steps: The council’s motion to approve the resolution for the tax abatement carried 5-0. The transcript records the council’s approval but does not show the abatement agreement’s final execution date or further administrative conditions; those details were not specified during the meeting.

Ending: Ring representatives remained available to answer questions after the vote. The council and town staff will follow the usual local and state procedures for issuing the abatement and completing any required filings.