City Council - Regular Meeting

Number two on the agenda.

There is none listed. That will take us to item number three, the approval of the minutes of the regular call session, May 21st, 2025. Motion to approve by Commissioner Hand, seconded by Commissioner Davidson. Any further questions or discussion? If not, please cast your vote. Call now, please.

And we're doing it again. They're just learning.

Y'all just thought it was going to be a quick one.

Motion carries. It takes us to number four, report of the finance director. We're just in the category of now for April 2025. Motion approved by Commissioner Bower, seconded by Commissioner Riddle. Any further discussion or questions? If not, please cast your vote. Who is to change their vote, please come down. Let's tally the vote. Motion carries. Thanks to number five, recommendations and communications. There are none. Number six, committee and department reports have been combined to A3B. Motion to approve by Commissioner Riddle, second by Commissioner Sheddars. Any further discussion or questions? If not, please cast your vote. which changes up into mail. That's how we vote. Motion carries. That's September 7th. Resolution number 8, new business and resolutions. Resolution 5A-0525. Resolution amending the Franklin County Board of Education general fund movement for Franklin County for fiscal year end of U-30-2025. Motion to approve by Commissioner McKellar. Second by Commissioner Mahan. Any further discussion or questions? If not, please cast your vote. Would the change of vote do so now? Please tell me the vote. Motion carries. That takes us to number nine, resolution 5B-0525, resolution amending the Franklin County Board of Education general fund budget for Franklin County for fiscal year ending June 30, 2025. Motion approved by Commissioner Riddle, seconded by Commissioner Anderson. Any further questions or discussion? If not, please catch the vote. Would the chair and the vote do something else? Please tally the vote. Motion carries. It takes us to number 10, new business resolution, resolution 5C0525, resolution amending the general courthouse jail maintenance library solid waste and drug fund debt service I'm sorry, dedicated service fund by Franklin County, fiscal year ending June 30, 2025. Motion to approve by Commissioner McMillan, second by Commissioner Wiseman. Any further questions or discussion? If not, please cast your vote. With the change of vote, we'll do so now. Please tally the vote. Motion to carry. OK, under number 11, commissioners, this is a motion to suspend the rules. After we proceed through this, there's three resolutions that we need to get on the table. But because of time factors, we're not able to be put in front of a finance committee at that meeting. And once we suspend the rules, then I'll bring up the three resolutions and then go one by one with them.

I'm making a motion to spin the rose. It should come up on the board. Oh, OK. It might not be worth it.

It should, since it's on the agenda. But I appreciate your tips. Do you make a motion?

Mm-hmm.

Well, I got to have one. Do you make a motion, Scott? Yes. OK, motion to spin the rose by Commissioner Riddle, second by Commissioner Wiseman. Any further discussion? Please cast your vote. Mr. Chairman, your vote is so now. Let's tally the vote. Motion carries. That takes us to the first resolution, 5D0525. What this is is a transfer of the Moon property from the County Commission to the IDB Board, which would enable the IDB Board to enter into an agreement to sell the Moon property. Motion to approve by Commissioner McMillan. Second by Commissioner Shedders. And we have a comment.

Yeah if uh I know some of this stuff secret but if you come back and tell what the industrial development board what they're thinking on this and i don't know if you can give the price that you all are trying to negotiate or not but anything like that that you can give us on this before we go okay right now yeah please okay um yeah i don't think that's sacred um it is uh it is project koala

That's the name they gave it. It's 275 jobs, $135 million capital investment to start. There are a couple of additional phases that will happen over the next five to 10 years. And they sent us a letter asking for the property for free. And so the board did meet, and they are willing to offer them 50% off, so it would be $10,000 an acre. $1.3 million, basically, and a pilot.

So that's what you all were sending back?

Yes. Yes.

What's a pilot?

Oh, a payment in lieu of tax. So for 10 years, they would make a payment instead of paying the full property tax. It allows them to recoup some of their initial investment, but there is no zero payment. They will make payments. The first two years, they will get an 80% abatement. The next two years, 60, 40. The last three years, 20% abatement. If they do what they say they're going to do, we will look every year, and we have clawback payments. clauses in there that they will have to pay. And also, if they don't continue with the future phases, they will come back and pay us the additional $10,000 an acre that we're giving them off.

So they're at zero. We're at $1 million. Do we feel like they're going to take this million?

I think they are.

We vote on this, and then they say, get rocks, we just didn't want zero. We're not going to get this.

No, no, I think they will. That's why we went ahead and brought this.

Does the Industrial Development Board have an attorney?

Yes, they do. Tom Trent in Nashville, and he specializes in pilots.

And writing up the contract that you just spoke of.

Yes, yes. And actually, he also did the next two resolutions that you are about to hear, too.

Can we have our county attorney look over that as a stipulation of this? Is that something we can do?

I mean, you could do it. Yeah, I'm not opposed to Mr. Johnson looking at it at all.

And then I'm good.

It's a good deal for Franklin County.

Thank you. I've got a question, Debra.

You said payment in lieu of taxes. They're not going to pay property taxes. They're getting this land at a very good price. Is that what is going on everywhere else? People are giving land? Because I'm at land. Farmland is bringing more than $10,000 an acre now.

Yes, and we had it listed for $20,000 an acre. Some places are giving it for free just because of what it brings in to the county. But we knew we didn't want to do that. Yes, and I do have an economic impact analysis that TVA did for us that I can send copies to you so you can see, and it shows Just the full impact of the people who are moving in, they'll pay sales tax on things. Yes. And the additional employees that will be working there will be paying sales tax. They'll hopefully be buying houses and paying property taxes. And so he gives us a good impact analysis so you can see what it will do for us.

Is the thing we're going to do in a minute, is it suspending all taxes on them or just property taxes?

It's just property taxes. It's payment in lieu of real property taxes.

So we should still get the sales tax of anything that they're pushing out.

No, you won't get sales tax on something they make. That's what you're saying.

They don't sell it here, right. Okay.

What you'll get is you'll get indirect sales tax, like stopping at a store. Yes. Like she said, buying a house to live here and work there. How many acres do we have on the moving property?

How many? There's 136, and they want them all.

Any idea what the job will pay?

They are good-paying jobs. I think their entry-level job was $21 an hour, and there wasn't many of those. They went up from there. So they're going to be really good-paying jobs.

Auto industry?

It is an aluminum extrusion company, and they are a good company. They do have two other locations in the U.S. already, so...

We did something like that before, but they had a 20-year where they didn't have to pay taxes for 20 years.

Right. This is 10. This is 10. This is a better building.

Of course, it needs some employees. Right. Less employees. Are we providing all the infrastructure in there, too? Yes.

We are not. Now, Winchester Utilities is doing some things. TVA is doing some things. You know, we are already contributing to the sewer project that's on the way there that I think they started that back a few years ago.

When the COVID money came, the county gave the city of Winchester $2.25 million to contribute to the sewer project over to the moon property. That project's not started yet. It hasn't been done.

It has to be finished by September of 26, 2026, because it's federal money. It has to be spent by then, and they know that.

Did they give you any time frame of how soon they would be starting completion?

They did, and they're wanting to actually start in 2027, the beginning of 2027. So they're wanting to move quick. Yeah.

I'll have a question.

I'll have a question. I have a motion to approve. Commissioner McMillan is seconded by Commissioner Shev. Any further discussion or questions? If not, please cast your vote. If you wish to change your vote, do so now. Please cast your vote, or tally your vote, I'm sorry. Motion carries. That takes us to number, resolution 5E. 20525. This is the one that finalizes the term limits or the range of the terms for the individual board members. That's just the label daddy and up. So when we did the contract near Plexiglas board. This deal we just talked about.

Yeah, on that page one where it says now, therefore, it's got Murray.

OK, so what we can do is a motion to approve is contingent upon changing that to Franklin County on the resolution for the records in the clerk's office.

Is that your motion to approve, Mr. Ritter?

Yes. OK. Motion to approve by Commissioner Riddle, second by Commissioner McMillan. Any further question or discussion? All in favor? All right. Please cast your vote. If you wish to change your vote, do so now. Please tally the vote. Motion carries. That takes us to the third resolution, resolution 5F0525. This is the finalization of the pilot lease agreement Mr. Krause was just talking about. Motion approved by Commissioner Hand, seconded by Commissioner Shevers. Any further questions or discussions? If not, please cast your vote. If you wish to change your vote, do so, ma'am. Please tally the vote. Motion carries.

That's number 15 on the agenda.

Elections and appointments. Library Board of Trustees listed there before you. Motion to approve by Commissioner Keller, second by Commissioner Anderson. Any further discussion or questions? If not, please cast your vote. Would you change your vote if so now? Please tally the vote. Motion carries. Number 16, election and appointments. We have eight notaries. Motion to approve by Commissioner Bauer, second by Commissioner Keller. Any further questions or discussion? If not, please cast your vote. If you wish to change your vote, please so now. Let's tally the vote. Motion carries. Section number 17, the fellow comment section of the meeting. Any fellow comments? Hearing none, we move to 18. Chairwoman Fannin, motion to adjourn. Motion to adjourn by Commissioner Riddle, second by Commissioner Gates. Please cast your vote. I don't think there's any discussion today. motion carries we are adjourned