Explanation
BACKGROUND: Columbus City Council (Council), by Ordinance No. 1110-2004, passed June 28, 2004, authorized the City to enter into an Enterprise Zone Agreement (the Agreement) with Evans, Mechwart, Hambleton & Tilton, Inc. (Enterprise) and Wishbone Partners, LLC (Landlord) for a tax abatement of seventy-five percent (75%) for a period of ten (10) years in consideration of a $10M investment in real property improvements by Landlord, a $1.7M investment in personal property, the relocation and retention of 329 permanent full-time jobs, and the creation of 85 permanent full-time jobs by Enterprise related to a new 100,000 square foot facility to be constructed on portions of parcel numbers 010-220116 and 010-242023 on New Albany Road Columbus, Ohio and within the Columbus North Enterprise Zone. The Agreement was made and entered into to be effective August 19, 2005 (EZA# 393-05-01) and was subsequently authorized by Council to be amended for the first time by Ordinance 0614-2009, passed on May 11, 2009, effective January 1, 2009 that eliminated any and all language from the Agreement that pertained to personal property investment.
The 2009 Columbus Tax Incentive Review Council (TIRC) reviewed the Evans, Mechwart, Hambleton & Tilton, Inc. and Wishbone Partners, LLC Enterprise Zone project on August 18, 2009, and recommended that the Agreement be continued and that City send Enterprise a job creation warning letter and request a meeting with Enterprise to (1) discuss the low payroll situation, (2) discuss likely job creation goals in light of the economy, and (3) amend agreement if need be to reflect revised job numbers. City has met with Enterprise on a number of occasions since the TIRC and each of the three points above have been discussed. Both City and Enterprise have been compliant with the requests of the TIRC. This legislation seeks to authorize amendment of the Agreement to amend the job creation and job retention requirements as set forth in...
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