Burke County approves tax rebate to win Project Arlington, cites $15M investment and 64 jobs

The Burke County Board of Commissioners voted 4–0 Aug. 6 to approve an incentive package aimed at landing “Project Arlington,” a proposed private investment that the county manager said would repurpose a vacant building into a manufacturing facility.

County Manager Brian told the board the project represents about a $15,000,000 investment with roughly $7,000,000 of net new taxable value and would create approximately 64 jobs that pay “almost $60,000” on average. "Project Arlington is an exciting project because it repurposes an existing building that's been vacant for some time," Brian said during the presentation.

Brandon Root, the county’s economic development director, described the company as a multigenerational U.S. manufacturer of point‑of‑purchase displays and said the firm compensates workers well. "This company has just been phenomenal and a pleasure to work with," Brandon said.

The state has offered an estimated incentive of about $950,000; the county’s proposed package is a performance‑based rebate equal to 50% of taxes paid on the net new value for four years. County staff illustrated the schedule and estimated a cumulative county cost of roughly $61,000 over four years under the proposal, which the board approved under a motion referencing NCGS 158.7.

Commissioners asked staff to confirm that the abatement applies only to net new investment and not to existing tax rolls; Brandon clarified the county will rebate 50% of the taxes actually paid on the net new value and that tax abatement is illegal in North Carolina so the arrangement is structured as a performance refund.

The board approved the incentive package unanimously and authorized county staff to complete required documentation. The motion cites statutory authority and conditions tied to investment and job creation; the county manager said staff will monitor performance against the schedule.