He also said the city will move to narrow Washington and Jefferson boulevards downtown.FORT WAYNE – Allen County’s newest employer will receive a break on its property tax bill for bringing an estimated 175 jobs here.
The County Council approved a seven-year tax abatement for Canadian--based Saratoga Potato Chips LLC. The company will save $115,000 over the life of the abatement if it invests the promised $4.9 million in an empty building near Bass and Hadley roads.
Saratoga makes salty snacks that are sold under various retailers’ store brands.
Senior planner Scott Harrold said Allen County competed against a community in Michigan to house the potato chip plant. Owner Peter Margie also operates a chip plant on Cook Road and is already familiar with the community and its regulations, like how to treat plant wastewater, which helped make Fort Wayne more attractive, he said.
Plant manager Navendra Paul told the council that Fort Wayne is in the heart of the area served by its customers. And those customers wanted the production facility closer to their distribution centers.
The company also favored Fort Wayne because “we like the atmosphere here,” Paul said.
But state incentives also helped, Harrold told the council.
The Indiana Economic Development Corp. offered Saratoga up to $1 million in performance-based tax credits based on the company’s job creation plans.
The company announced last week that it would open its U.S. headquarters here to produce potato chips, kettle chips and popcorn in leased space at 6923 Lincoln Parkway. The company expects to create 175 jobs with a payroll of $5.8 million.
In its abatement application filed with the county, the company said it plans to invest $3.3 million in equipment plus an additional $550,000 into the building.
Additional planned investments may not be eligible for tax abatement, Harrold said.
