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Whiteland council approves personal‑property abatement for Sugar Foods tied to 105 jobs and public‑safety donations
Summary
The Whiteland Common Council approved Resolution 2025‑12 granting Sugar Foods LLC a five‑year personal‑property tax abatement for a $40 million investment, contingent on job creation and written donations to local public safety. Council added language memorializing a $10,000 police donation and noted an existing fire‑donation commitment.
The Whiteland Common Council on Nov. 12 approved Resolution 2025‑12, granting Sugar Foods LLC a five‑year personal‑property tax abatement tied to the company’s planned expansion into Gateway Building 1 at the Patch development.
Sugar Foods’ presentation described a roughly $40,000,000 capital project, including about $25,000,000 in equipment. The company said the first five years of operations would target 105 new jobs with an average wage of about $63,000. “We’re looking to do that here in Whiteland and kinda have this be one of our biggest facilities in the States,” a Sugar Foods representative said during the council presentation.
Company representatives also told the council they planned community contributions tied to the abatement. The proposal originally included a $10,000 annual donation to the fire department, and during the meeting the company agreed to make a separate one‑time $10,000 donation to the police department upon occupancy. Council members requested that the police donation be memorialized in the resolution; legal staff drafted short language and the council incorporated it before the vote.
Council members said they weighed the abatement against the alternative—an empty building or a lower‑paying logistics tenant—and emphasized factors such as the nature of the jobs, payroll, and commitments to public‑safety partners. One council member noted the scoring criteria used by staff: “Even at the seven‑year abatement it did score well,” the council’s presenter said, describing the town’s evaluation matrix.
A roll call vote recorded Tim Brown, Brad Goedecker, Joe Sailor, Les Henderson and Richard Hill voting in favor; the motion passed unanimously. The resolution as approved includes the company’s commitments on donations and the five‑year equipment abatement. The council directed staff to finalize resolution text reflecting the police donation (the town attorney will confirm language and timing).
