The Turkey Creek Road Project is one step closer to completion and a local company was offered an extension to qualify for the Economic Development Ad Valorem Tax Exemption.
Last week’s commission meeting was short, but impactful.
Commissioners began the next step toward completing the Turkey Creek Road Project. Last week, they approved the ranking of firms that submitted bids to take over the project.
In May 2013, the City of Plant City entered into two interlocal Transportation Grant Agreements with Hillsborough County. Those agreements allocated funds toward two transportation projects: the Turkey Creek Road Improvements and the Airport Road/Turkey Creek Signalization. The city then used transportation impact fees for the Airport Road Realignment Project.
The Water/Sewer Utilities Fund is going to be tapped to pay for the costs to relocate all of the water and sewer lines. The city announced the engineer’s estimated construction cost for all areas totals $8.4 million. The report said the “project’s scale and complexity will require professional construction engineering and inspection (CE&I) services for contract administration, construction project management, and materials testing.”
Nine responses were received by Aug. 20 and the Request for Qualifications evaluation committee composed of Frank Coughenour, Tatyana Austin, Lynn Spivey, Tonya Grant and David Vogel interviewed the three highest-ranked firms. From there the final ranking list was submitted to the city commissioners as: KCCS, Inc in first, Stanley Consultants in second and Elipsis Engineering and Consulting in third. A Notice of Intent to Award for KCCS, Inc. was issued on Sept. 30.
What that means is City Manager Bill McDaniel was approved to start negotiations with KCCS, Inc. If for some reason negotiations fail, he can then move on to the next-ranked firm.
A public hearing was also held to discuss extending the Economic Development Ad Valorem Tax Exemption for NuCycle Energy of Tampa, LLC formerly Materials Lifecycle Management Company of Tampa, LLC.
Local voters approved the referendum on Nov. 2, 2010, which essentially allows local governments to grant tax exemptions to qualifying new business or expansions of qualifying existing businesses. On July 23, 2018, commissioners approved the tax exemption for Materials Lifecycle Management Company of Tampa, LLC. IT would commence Jan. 1, 2021 and expire Dec. 31 of the seventh tax year afterward. Then MLMC changed its name to NuCycle Energy of Tampa, LLC.
The company, located at 2067 S. County Line Road, said it would employ at least 45 new full-time equivalent employees at an average annual wage of at least $58,383 and make a Capital Investment exceeding $8,887,000 prior to the commencement of any exemption granted.
The company asked commissioners for an extension to the “creation and maintenance of 45 full-time equivalent employees due to operational obstructions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.” The change will delay the commencement date of the Exemption to Jan. 1, 2022, and then extend the expiration date of the Exemption by one year.
After the public hearing was held, commissioners agreed that with the unexpected hurdles of COVID-19, it only made sense to grant the extension.
Local voters have the opportunity to make their voices heard on whether they wish for this tax exemption to remain in place. The referendum is up for renewal and is on Plant City residents’ ballots under the title “Plant City Economic Development Property Tax Exemptions for New Businesses and Expansions of Existing Businesses.”
