The Pulaski County Council recently approved the renewals of ongoing tax abatements, but not without some concerns from the Assessor’s Office. It was noted that FRATCO has apparently missed its employment targets.
Community Development Commission Executive Director Nathan Origer argued that it wasn’t entirely the company’s fault. He said the rapidly declining population and lack of qualified workers is a serious issue for all of Pulaski County’s employers. He added that FRATCO has increased its payroll by 143 percent since 2011, and there is some discrepancy when looking at the overall employment numbers, since the plant and office are in separate townships.
However, Deputy Assessor Deb DeSchepper said FRATCO also failed to fill out the CF-1 form correctly, even after multiple explanations from the Assessor’s Office. Council Member Rudy DeSabatine didn’t think the issues were enough to risk losing major manufacturers from the county and noted that FRATCO officials have discussed taking future expansions elsewhere.
In the end, the county council voted six-to-one to approve all of the CF-1 forms as presented.
