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Washington County approves $100,000 match for planned IV manufacturing facility at Fort Richey
Summary
County administrators announced and approved a $100,000 local match, funded by hotel rental tax, to support a conditional $1 million MDAF loan for a pharmaceutical company planning an IV manufacturing facility at the former Fort Richey site; staff said the project could create about 300 jobs initially and up to 1,000 in later phases.
Washington County officials announced and approved a $100,000 county match to support a conditional $1 million MDAF loan for a planned IV manufacturing facility at the former Fort Richey property in Cascade.
County Administrator Michelle Gordon said the pharmaceutical company “is receiving a million dollar MDAF loan, conditional loan from the state of Maryland. And our required match was $100,000, that is being funded by hotel rental tax.” She said the project is expected to “generate about 300 jobs” initially and “if they have additional phases, it could generate up to an additional 1,000 jobs.”
The county administrator gave the update during staff comments, reporting that the matching funds were approved following a recent special meeting and the board’s closed session. Gordon said the match will be funded from hotel rental tax revenue rather than general fund balances.
The MDAF loan was described in the meeting as a conditional state loan; county staff did not provide the lender agency’s full name in the record. The board did not provide a separate public vote transcript for this item at the time of the announcement; the county clerk’s minutes reflect the match as approved in staff actions following the special session.
Why it matters: County officials said the project could add hundreds of jobs and represents a local economic development effort tied to state assistance. Funding the $100,000 match from hotel rental tax directs tourism-related revenue to the incentive, a policy choice with implications for county budget priorities.
County officials did not provide a timeline for site work, permitting, or the state’s final loan approval, and they did not specify the company’s name during the presentation. The administration said additional phases could expand employment further if the company proceeds beyond initial construction.
The board’s staff said the match was approved as part of follow-up actions after a recent special meeting; no additional implementation steps or reporting deadlines were announced at the public meeting.
