Charles Manufacturing seeks 75% tax abatement for Warren expansion; county takes statements under advisement

Charles Manufacturing and Fras LLC told Trumbull County officials on Feb. 18 that they plan a 1,350-square-foot addition at 3021 Saffera Avenue in Warren and are requesting a 75% property-tax abatement for 10 years to support a minimum $230,000 investment and the creation of four full-time-equivalent jobs.

Nicholas Coggins, enterprise zone manager with the Trumbull County Planning Commission, outlined the legal and procedural background for the request, saying, "Trumbull County has established an enterprise zone approved by the county commissioners on 11/22/1994 and certified by the State of Ohio on 12/06/1994," and noting that the City of Warren participates under ordinance 10722-94. Coggins said affected school districts were notified under Ohio Revised Code §5709.83 and that he had received "no opposition to date" from the affected districts, LaBrae School District, or TCTC.

Coggins described the application details: "Charles Manufacturing and partnership with Fras LLC, has executed an application for property tax incentives requesting the amounts of 75% of improvements, pledged for a period of 10 years." He added that the company meets statutory definitions under Ohio Revised Code §5709.61 for an expansion and new-job creation and that, if an abatement is granted, the company would be subject to the county's tax incentive review council and required reporting on investment and job-creation metrics.

Commissioners questioned the scale and precedent for such abatements. One commissioner cited a prior denial in 2024 for a different firm (Dawn Manufacturing) that had raised resistance from a school board and building trades unions because the project would have produced only a small number of jobs. In response, Coggins said the authority to negotiate incentive levels was delegated to the affected local communities when the enterprise zone was established and that any countywide rubric would require adoption by each affected community. He also stated the company meets the statute's investment threshold and job-definition requirements.

Nick Keys, community development director for the city of Warren, told the commissioners he supported the company: "This family has been in the area ... close to 30 years," Keys said, adding that while "it's a small number of jobs, small investment, it still means a lot to them." Keys said Warren City Council unanimously approved consent on Feb. 11 and asked the county to allow the agreement to proceed.

No one appeared in opposition at the hearing. After testimony, an attendee moved that the commissioners "take statements under advisement"; the motion passed on a recorded vote in which Malloy, Hernandez and Bernard voted yes. The commissioners did not record a vote to approve the abatement itself during this hearing and then adjourned.

Next steps: the record will reflect statements taken under advisement; the transcript does not show a county vote to adopt the abatement agreement during the Feb. 18 session.