Portland council sends four tax-abatement requests covering nearly $19 million in investments to Tax Abatement Board

The Portland City Council unanimously approved motions on April 6 to send four separate tax-abatement requests to the Tax Abatement Board, citing equipment purchases and capital investments that the Jay County Development Commission presented.

Ceann Bales, executive director of the Jay County Development Commission (JCDC), presented the requests. The projects and reported figures on the record are: an FCC PP tax abatement reporting $8,038,634 in investment with a five-year abatement for productivity-improvement equipment; a Joyce Dayton PP request for $896,607 in investment with a three-year abatement (equipment: MH63 mill); an amended Joyce Dayton RP request reporting $8,047,880 in investment with a five-year abatement (amended equipment and totals); and an amended Joyce Dayton PP request reporting $1,986,491 in investment with a three-year abatement. Taken together the four items total $18,969,612 in reported investment.

Each request was moved and approved on the record by roll call with unanimous votes. The council’s role at this meeting was to forward the applications to the Tax Abatement Board; final abatement approvals, amounts and conditions are determined by that board according to the applicable local process.

Council did not record detailed conditions or incentives attached to the requests in the meeting minutes beyond the investment and abatement term figures presented by JCDC. The motions to forward the requests carry no direct appropriation by the city; they transmit the applications for review by the Tax Abatement Board.