Circleville Council welcomed an industry Tuesday evening by voting to give tax credits to the incoming employer.
Councilman Tom Spring said the Columbus industrial coatings firm Forjack Industrial wants to locate in the old Crane Plastics on Clinton Street in southern Circleville.
Spring said they guarantee $18,000 dollars a year for the first five years, which is equal to one percent of the city's income tax. He said this is all good news.
Spring also wants to see action on a project that he has shepherded. The so-called Mill Street Gym is the part of former Everts School the city still owns. The Pickaway Arts & Life Center formed with the hope to occupy it.
He says the city has most of the money available to cover an engineer's estimate of $1.4 to 1.5 million dollars to renovate, but it is critical to take action before going into a second winter without heat so costs don't escalate.
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A couple issues are moving slowly in Circleville Council.
The Committee of the Whole, which is simply all of council gathering together, but not in session, has canceled two meetings recently.
They were to discuss the transition of Berger Health System from a city-county-owned public hospital, to a non-profit, after voters approved that action.
Council President David Crawford said the boards of health partners Berger and Ohio Health want to go over terms a little more. He said there is no timetable, so there's no rush.
Council is also reconsidering giving the mayor a raise. They looked at average pay rates for their elected officials and realized Circleville's are a little low, and wanted to offer better pay, to get good candidates.
But Mayor Don McIlroy wanted his raise instead sent to his administrative staff.
Crawford says the committee that made the recommendation was charged with considering only elected officials, so that issue is back in the committee.
Kevin Coleman regularly reports on Chillicothe & Circleville councils and local culture