Elkhart County Council Approves Tax Abatements For 2 Companies
By Dustin Grove (grove@wsbt.com)
ELKHART — It's the stuff we throw away — the stuff buried deep down in landfills across the country — that one company wants to turn into energy to power homes, buildings and even cars. That company wants workers in Elkhart County to build the equipment to make it happen.
"To bring this kind of investment and new technology and green technology, something that diversifies us away from recreational vehicles — I think is a very big thing for the county,” said Elkhart County Commissioner Mike Yoder.
County council members Monday voted unanimously to approve a tax phase-in for New Energy, Inc., a Nevada-based company that will build the machines to heat waste into a gas that's then converted into energy.
"They have about 12 months of production already online so they're ready to start up and start producing,” Yoder said.
Yoder says the customers would be institutions like jails and casinos. The equipment would be built in a vacant building, he says, just north of Middlebury.
The company says it will make a $6 million investment and create at least 200 jobs, although it is aiming for 500.
County officials say the good news for taxpayers is there's minimal risk involved. If the company doesn't perform as promised, it loses the tax abatement. The average worker salary will be $40,000-$45,000 a year.
The president of New Energy, Inc. says he hopes to get started as soon as they close on the building near Middlebury, perhaps as early as next month.
The council also voted to approve a tax abatement for Truck Accessories Group — a company that’s already operating in Elkhart County — so it can expand its facilities to make new products. The company said it will add 60 new jobs to its plant in Elkhart.
