The Lake View City Council held a discussion during Monday night’s city council meeting regarding the tax abatement request from EVAPCO on the new expansion at their Lake View facility. Back in November, EVAPCO Plant Manager Brett Meyer approached the council to discuss the newest addition of around 95,400 square feet, to add a new stainless-steel pipe mills to manufacture their own stainless-steel tubing. With the new addition, Meyer gave a list of incentives that the business was requesting from the city, including tax abatement, rebate on cost of transformer, and for the city to pay for a dedicated electric line to EVAPCO. Councilman Mike Frank says the city cannot grant a tax abatement at this time due to the program being abolished.
Councilman Jim Jensen wanted to clarify that EVAPCO wasn’t going to be receiving money from the city through the program.
The city council previously approved on a development agreement with EVAPCO in 2021, to three years 100 percent tax abatement, plus $15,000 utility rebate. EVAPCO did not specifically request a certain number of years for an abatement in the newest proposal, more just asking the city to consider bringing the program back. The abatement was abolished during the June 2 city council meeting, due to the City of Lake View’s financial state, just was not in the right place to offer tax abatements to businesses or residential. Councilman Dave Woltman said the council should maybe have considered keeping the commercial tax abatements, to incentivize business to build in the community.
The council and city officials are consulting with the city attorney on what the next steps would be. Discussions on whether to adopt a whole new ordinance to instate a commercial tax abatement or to rescind the abolishment of the existing ordinance will be held at future city council meetings.
