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City
approached with Monsanto request for Lincoln and Logan County
Enterprise Zone
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[May 19, 2008]
Logan County planning director
Phil Mahler came before the Lincoln City Council earlier this month
to present a proposed addition to the Lincoln and Logan County
Enterprise Zone. Mahler said that he was there to present in concept
a request from the Monsanto plant in Illiopolis. The plant is right
next to Formosa, so the extension already goes there.
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 Monsanto is a growing agriculture business specializing in soybean
and corn seed. They also have a plant in Farmer City. However, there
is no enterprise zone that reaches the Farmer City site. Like
Formosa, the benefit for Monsanto would be the break on the natural
gas tax that enterprise zone designation offers.
Mahler noted that the extension to Formosa had a unique benefit
in that Formosa offered and is still paying us $5,000 a year.
Monsanto is willing to give the city $10,000 and the county $10,000
each year, and they are willing to continue that agreement as long
as the enterprise zone is in effect, he said.
The Lincoln and Logan County Enterprise Zone was renewed in 2007
to extend another 10 years.
During the discussion that followed, several indirectly related
enterprise zone matters were addressed.
Alderman Buzz Busby suggested that this might be an opportune
time to rewrite the pertaining ordinances for the enterprise zone so
that Lincoln can eliminate the free sewer tap that was written in.
Busby brought it up previously that the new developments have been
eating up the new space attained just a few years ago with the $10
million wastewater treatment plant expansion. The city needs to be
able to collect the tap fees in order to prepare for the next
treatment plant expansion.
In another concern, city attorney Bill Bates took issue with
adding another property that is outside of Lincoln and Logan County.
He said that when the extension was made to properties in Sangamon
County and Elkhart, agreements were signed between all parties that
Sangamon County and Elkhart would not need to sign off on further
changes to the enterprise zone. However, the state, which hosts the
program, declared that any changes would need to go before them and
that that they must also now sign off on any changes to the
enterprise zone.
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Mahler said that we, Lincoln and Logan County, are the authority.
Elkhart and Sangamon County have to know when we are changing the
enterprise zone, but they cannot vote not to change it.
On another point of consideration, Mahler added that we should be
considering the number of jobs that will be created in our decisions
for enterprise zone additions. He reviewed past decisions and future
plans, which mostly center on developments around Lincoln.
Mahler said that he and the Monsanto representatives would come
back later in May or early June to formally make the request. It
would first go before the Logan County Regional Planning Commission
and next would go also before the city and the county planning and
zoning committee.
[By JAN YOUNGQUIST]
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