Jerome Township officials are in favor of a new Amazon facility coming to the area.
During Tuesday’s Trustees Meeting, trustees voted unanimously in favor of both agreements that would pave the way for the tech giant to build a data services facility in the township.
The first is an enterprise zoning agreement which would provide the company with a 10-year, 100% tax abatement.
The second is a donation agreement called a pilot payment in which the company will donate $4 million to the area over the course of 10 years. The donation includes $500,000 for Jerome Township intended to fund infrastructure and support development.
Eric Phillips, executive director of economic development, said Amazon is looking to build a 250,000 square-foot facility at the northwest corner Industrial Parkway and Warner Road.
“I’m here to hopefully get your consent of the tax abatement before it goes to the county commissioners for approval,” Phillips told the trustees.
Currently, he said the township receives approximately $1,425 annually in income tax revenue from the property.
However, as the first project that will be part of the Joint Economic Development District (JEDD), Phillips said Jerome Township will receive $54,000 in income tax revenue from the property.
He said Marysville will also receive an equal amount, which the city has committed to investing in Jerome Township.
Phillips said allowing Amazon to come to the area will have positive fiscal, community and economic impacts.
Namely, he emphasized the effect the donation agreement will have on education, as Amazon will donate $2.5 million to the Jonathan Alder Local School District and $500,000 to Tolles, each over 10 years.
He said the company is also planning to partner with Tolles to create data processing coursework that will fuel the future workforce.
“A data center will attract future high-tech jobs,” Phillips said.
County Commissioner Steve Stolte and Marysville Mayor J.R. Rausch were also present at the meeting to encourage township trustees to support the project.
All three trustees were in favor of the development.
Trustee Ron Rhodes said he is particularly optimistic about the positive impact the donations could have on local schools.
He said it was also a benefit that the data center is not likely to bring more students to the area, potentially creating an adverse impact on local school districts.
“I’ve been waiting on this for a long time,” trustee Ron Rhodes said.
Resident Barry Adler also expressed support for the project, although he voiced concerns surrounding the transparency of the agreement.
He said he felt residents did not have ample opportunities to voice their opinion throughout the process and hoped they would be more involved as it progresses.
Additionally, he asked the trustees to ensure several aesthetic requirements the development would need to meet, including a maximum building size, “adequate” landscaping and architectural design standards.
Regardless, Adler said he felt “this is the type of commercial development that could be helpful for our township.”
Aside from the Jerome Township Trustees, the agreements have been approved by the Jonathan Alder Board of Education and Union County Community Improvement Corporation (CIC) so far.
The donation agreement will be voted on by the Tolles Board of Education on Nov. 21 before the Union County Board of Commissioners votes on Nov. 26.