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Monday, May 5, 2008
Overflow crowd will be seated in lobby
In her weekly memo to Middletown City Council, City Manager Judy Gilleland said the city hall staff is preparing for a large crowd for council’s Tuesday, May 6 meeting.
A large crowd is anticipated due to an agenda item seeking council confirmation of a rezoning decision made by the Middletown Planning Commission in March.
The proposed rezoning of 157 acres has raised the ire of Monroe residents who live adjacent to the property as it is being targeted for the construction of a $340 million cokemaking and electric generation plant. Residents say they are not opposed to the building of the plant but they do object to the proposed location off of Ohio 4 near their homes. They would prefer the plant be located inside the property of AK Steel Corp.
Gilleland said the city fire marshal will be on hand to ensure the capacity of the council chamber is not exceeded. Overflow seating will be provided in the lobby where people can observe the proceedings on a television monitor. She also added that officers will be present to ensure a safe environment for all.
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City reviewing tax incentives
One item that won’t be on Middletown City Council’s agenda on Tuesday, May 6, is a discussion about a possible enterprise zone tax abatement for the proposed SunCoke Energy cokemaking and electric generation plant project.
Council was originally slated to discuss a proposed agreement that would abate 75 percent of the project’s personal property taxes for 10 years.
In its enterprise zone application to the state, Charles Ellis, senior vice president of business development for SunCoke, said because there were “significant other options available to construct the project in Kentucky, it is critical that the company receive state and local incentives to allow the project to proceed in Ohio.”
Ellis also said the incentives “will help ensure that the project goes forward in Ohio, and will allow the project to meet its economic hurdle of return on the investment.”
Bill Murphy, Middletown’s economic development director, said companies routinely request information on incentives available from cities.
Murphy said the city needs to review its position about other possible incentives as SunCoke could become a major water user.
In addition, the electric generation portion of the plant will remain subject to the tangible personal property tax. Murphy said the city needs to do additional reviews of this issue to make sure any incentives offered makes sense for the community.
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Opponents to rezoning for coke plant mobilizing
A group of Monroe residents whose properties are adjacent to the 157 acres that the city of Middletown is seeking to rezone from low-density residential to industrial use are stepping up their awareness efforts.
The residents have established a Web site, called stayinsidethefence.com as a way to voice their objections to the rezoning decision that was approved by the Middletown Planning Commission and is expected to be confirmed Tuesday, May 6 by Middletown City Council by an emergency ordinance.
Tuesday’s council meeting is expected to be packed with opponents from Monroe but also by the city’s business and labor community that are supporting the rezoning as it will pave the way for a $340M state of the art heat recovery cokemaking and electric generation plant that SunCoke Energy wants to build and operate. Neighboring AK Steel Corp. has already signed a 20-year agreement with Knoxville-based SunCoke Energy to be the exclusive customer for the projected 550,000 tons of coke and 50 megawatts of electricity the plant is expected to produce each year.
While the city’s business and labor community is rallying support for the rezoning, the Monroe residents are pullling no punches by putting a human face on the issue.
On their Web site, www.stayinsidethefence.com, they did a short video of how the rezoning decision might impact Garden Manor Retirement Village, which is inside the city of Middletown corporate limits as well as the residents they serve and their 400-plus employees.
The residents also have a prayer vigil scheduled for 8 p.m. tonight, May 5, at the Truth Tabernacle on Ohio 4.
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