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Union County approves FILOT for Fine Organics and adopts $24 million budget with no tax increase
Summary
Union County Council unanimously approved a FILOT agreement with Fine Organics America LLC that will provide the county $500,000 annually in lieu of taxes, and also adopted the FY2026 operating and capital budgets totaling $24 million with no tax increase and a cost-of-living raise for county employees.
Union County Council adopted an ordinance on third and final reading approving a FILOT (fee-in-lieu-of-taxes) agreement with Fine Organics America LLC, previously referred to in the file as Project Spring. The measure, approved unanimously at the June 17 meeting, establishes a payment-in-lieu arrangement under which the county will receive $500,000 per year from the company, expands the boundaries of the Industrial Park and multi-county park agreement, and authorizes sale of the Trakas property to facilitate the project.
Chairman Phillip Russell said the ordinance will advance recruitment and provide a predictable revenue stream tied to the company’s operations. "The ordinance states that the County will receive $500,000 per year in lieu of taxes from the Company," the adopted text says. Councilman John Flood moved adoption; the motion was seconded and carried without opposition.
In the same session the council adopted the county’s fiscal year 2026 operating and capital budgets, effective July 1, 2025, at a total of approximately $24 million. Chairman Russell summarized the budget as containing "no increase in taxes and a cost of living raise for County employees." The budget ordinance passed on third reading, with council members voting unanimously.
Why it matters: The FILOT provides the county with a multi-hundred-thousand-dollar annual revenue commitment linked to a private project, while the adopted budget sets county spending priorities for the coming year without raising property taxes. The ordinances also allow the county to expand industrial park boundaries and effect property transactions needed to support the Fine Organics project.
What’s next: The FILOT ordinance and budget are effective under the county’s ordinance schedule; administrative steps to finalize property conveyances and implement budgeted items will follow through county staff and legal counsel.
Sources: Union County Council meeting minutes and agenda materials presented at the June 17, 2025 meeting.
