Umatilla County OKs enterprise zone. Check it out:
(Tri-City Herald (Kennewick, WA) (KRT) Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge) Sep. 21--PENDLETON -- Umatilla County commissioners on Wednesday approved an extended enterprise zone for a planned distribution center at the Port of Umatilla.
The approval exempts the business, Columbia River Logistics Service Co., from taxes for the first five years of operation, instead of three years. The exemption does not apply to taxes accrued during the construction phase.
The zone had to be approved before the company broke ground on the land it purchased from the port, said Umatilla City Administrator Larry Clucas.
Once the distribution center is operating, it could employ up to 20 people, he said.
The distribution center's parent company, Seattle-based James Farrell Co., ships a variety of products internationally, including powdered milk, forage and grains.
Umatilla County Commissioner Dennis Doherty said he thought the enterprise zone was part of the overall strategic plan the port has been following to attract new customers.
"This is an important part and you have to connect the dots," he said.
Normally a project needs a minimum $25 million investment before it qualifies for the five-year exemption. The distribution center is expected to be a $1.5 million investment.
In addition to the enterprise zone, the Port of Umatilla built a $10,000 transload facility for the company, although it can be used with other freight. The port also received a $4.7 million ConnectOregon grant that will pay for rail and dock improvements and help excavate the site for the new distribution center.
The extended enterprise zone still needs state approval.
In other business, commissioners lifted a temporary burn ban because cooler and wetter weather has reduced the fire risk. County residents still need to make sure a burn is authorized before starting any fires.
Commissioners also set a public hearing to discuss a petition for the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation to withdraw from a special tax district intended to raise money for the Umatilla County Sheriff's Office. The tax will be on the November ballot and applies only to people living outside city limits.
The hearing will be 10 a.m. Tuesday in Room 114 at the courthouse, 216 S.E. Fourth St., Pendleton.
Copyright (c) 2006, Tri-City Herald, Kennewick, Wash.
Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Business News.
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