 Initially Monsanto requested the designation for just their
Illiopolis site. The Lincoln/Logan County Enterprise Zone was
already extended to Illiopolis.
The current request was modified to include Monsanto's Farmer
City site also.
The major benefit to the company would be in relief from a state
natural gas tax.
In addition to approvals from the city of Lincoln and Logan
County, the governments of each of the other participants would need
to approve the expansion. These include DeWitt County, where the
Farmer City plant resides, and Sangamon County, where the Illiopolis
plant resides, as well as a sign-off from Elkhart.
Phil Mahler, director of the Logan County Regional Planning
Commission, previously explained that an area to the north of
Lincoln has been identified for its potential to attract big
business and is included in this request. The area north of Lincoln
includes acreage extending from Eaton to the East Lincoln Grain
Elevator. It has great infrastructure in place that includes easy
access to Interstate 55 and railroads.
Mahler said he would be working at marketing the new area for
Lincoln. He has already made a connection with a large seed company
to review the possibilities.
Once all parties have signed off or reached an agreement, the
application is sent to the state for approval.
Logan County unanimously approved it last month.
The council approved the request this past Monday, 8-1. Alderman
Dave Armbrust voted no.
Armbrust also serves on the regional planning commission and was
one of two "no" votes when it was presented there last month. He had
expressed concern for selling the limited resource to a big company.
Monsanto agreed to pay each of the holders of the enterprise
zone, Lincoln and the Logan County, $20,000 per year for as long as
the enterprise zone is active.
The city's approval was given pending an amendment to the wording
of the agreement, so that it would state that the money would be
used for administration of the enterprise zone or to promote new
investments of business for the enterprise zone.
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How the three expansions would affect the available territory:
-
Extensions to the two
Monsanto sites:
0.8 square miles
-
Potential site
developments around Lincoln:
2.8 square miles
-
Total additions:
3.6 square miles
Add the above expansions to the current 6 square miles in use,
and approximately10 square miles will have been used in 22 years.
About 5 1/2 square miles would remain available for future
developments.
According to Steve McClure, an expert on enterprise zones,
Speaker of the House Michael Madigan decided a few years ago that no
more enterprise zones would be created. Madigan declared that the 94
or 95 zones already in existence should be expanded. Neither Mason
County nor DeWitt County has an enterprise zone. Springfield has an
enterprise zone but has not chosen to extend outside its city
limits, so Sangamon is without an enterprise zone also.
It is not known right now if the state will continue renewals of
the program. The Lincoln/Logan County Enterprise Zone expires on
June 30, 2017.
Mahler said that he has another enterprise zone request in
process for Remington Seed. Remington is planning to build a
44,000-square-foot building. Their expansion would create three to
five new jobs and would involve 3-5 acres. The company is located
two miles out of Lincoln on Route 10.
Both Mahler and Joel Smiley, director of the Lincoln & Logan
County Development Partnership, endorse the proposed expansions.
[By JAN YOUNGQUIST]
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