Nyrstar and Commerce Park Topics of IDB Meeting
The Jefferson County Industrial Development Board met Friday morning, and were joined by a number of citizens. The meeting opened with comments from the visitors, who came to voice concern regarding the actions of Nyrstar N.V. Multiple citizens commented that Nyrstar had accessed their property without notification, water wells had been impacted, materials had been left on private property, and that request for information had been met with vague responses by the corporation. Concerns were raised over the holding of mineral rights, with some residents having never been notified whether they owned their mineral rights or not. In response, it was recommended that citizens hire a title attorney to investigate precisely who held the rights.
Next on the agenda was the approval of minutes from October 2016, as well as the approval of the financial report, which were both passed unanimously. The election of officers followed, with all members retaining their positions in a motion by Kisabeth. Another motion would have the IDB using the EDA P.O. Box as its mailing address. Both motions were appropriately seconded and passed. Regarding the Hamilton Consulting Group proposal, Masters stated he met with Trevor Hamilton and was impressed by his range of experience. The motion was made that the proposal state the full range of jobs that the industrial park might accept, rather than just the average, which was appropriately seconded and passed.
In old business, the board discussed Nyrstar’s PILOT and lawsuit, and stated that as of January 1, 2017, Nyrstar was completely taxable. The corporation had shown interest in renewing the tax abatement in July of last year, but never followed through with the steps required. Although Nyrstar has again expressed interest in renewing the abatement, the board explained that the corporation would have to refile for selection, as the December 31st deadline had already passed. Concerns were raised over the lack of information regarding mineral rights again. Masters explained that, should Nyrstar actually meet the criteria for abatement by the IDB (as opposed to the County Commission), the board could request a full mapping of all mineral rights that the corporation owned. In regards to the lawsuit, the motion was made by Kisabeth to give the IDB chairman authority to legal council if and when the lawsuit deadline arrives. The motion was seconded by Hammer and passed. At this time, the board stated that it would likely not be included in the lawsuit, although passed the motion as a cautionary measure.
Last on the agenda was a review on the progress of the White Pine commerce park project. Regarding entrances to the park, the state has already been notified for when/if road work is needed. The question was raised of whether the board has set a minimum requirement of “X jobs provided,” for businesses looking to utilize the park. Masters replied that no such minimum was in place, though the board could prioritize businesses that bring more jobs. Masters also stated that he wanted to have a full “worst case dollar figure” by the next IDB meeting. In a final motion, which was appropriately seconded and passed, the meeting was adjourned.
