BY KYM LIEBLER
The Cincinnati Enquirer
LEBANON -- Warren County commissioners Tuesday gave preliminary approval for a tax abatement to an ink manufacturing company from Detroit.
Commissioners tentatively agreed to give Flint Ink a 75 percent abatement on personal property taxes over 10 years, a savings to the company of roughly $1.3 million, said Karen Garrett, the county's economic development director.
It is the third tax abatement approved by the county this year. Flint Ink, the largest American-owned ink manufacturer, makes newspaper, magazine and commercial inks and toners.
Its annual sales have jumped from $300 million in 1986 to an estimated $1.2 billion by the end of 1998, said Paul Carnarvon, group controller for the company.
Mr. Carnarvon said the company intends to finish building a $4.7 million production plant in Lebanon and start operating from the site in 1999.
The company plans to initially employ 54 people at the Lebanon plant, with an annual payroll of $2 million.
He said the company plans to hire a highly skilled work force, including executive staff, ink formulators, scientists and manufacturing staff.
"From the looks of things, this is a top-shelf company," said county Commissioner C. Michael Kilburn, a critic of tax abatements. "A top-shelf company for a top-shelf county -- I can support this."
Flint Ink officials became interested in Lebanon after the company late last year bought out Manders Premier Inc., another ink production company.
At the time Manders was bought out, it had begun building a production plant on Henkle Drive in Lebanon.
Lebanon City Council has negotiated a tax-increment financing agreement with the company and approved the 75 percent personal property tax abatement at its June 23 meeting. Those tax breaks will be redirected in infrastructure improvements near the project. "This will be a state-of-the-art, world-class facility for solvent packaging of inks," Mr. Carnarvon said.
"There's a lot of opportunity for expansion here."
Warren County commissioners plan to formally vote on the abatement at their Tuesday meeting.
