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County Cuts Tax Exemptions For West Fraser Following Layoffs, Delays Action On Wayne Dalton
December 12, 2008
The Escambia County Commission has repealed a county ordinance providing tax breaks to West Fraser Timber Company’s McDavid Mill following layoffs at the plant. The commission also delayed a similar action on tax breaks for Pensacola’s Wayne Dalton Corporation.
The commission voted 5-0 Thursday night to repeal the West Fraser’s ad valorem tax breaks, and voted 5-0 to delay action on cutting the tax breaks for Wayne Dalton.
The Wayne Dalton exemptions will remain in place pending further review.
Charles Wood, senior economic development coordinator for the Pensacola Area Chamber of Commerce, told commissioners that while Wayne Dalton has announced layoffs, those layoffs will not actually happen until early 2009.
Wood said that an early end to the Wayne Dalton tax breaks might send the wrong message to industries considering Escambia County.
“We want to make sure we don’t send the wrong message,” Wood said.
The county attorney’s office recommended that the tax exemptions be repealed because the companies no longer meet the eligibility requirements set forth by the county and state law.
The tax exemptions were for 100 percent of the value of “certain real estate and personal property” on the corporations.
County tax records show a $6,891,161 real estate exemption for West Fraser in 2008. West Fraser was exempted from $48,069.29 in county taxes and $4,720.45 for the sheriff’s department on their real estate in 2008.
West Fraser received a $14,949,326 exemption on company property in 2008. That amounted $104,279.02 in county tax exemptions and $10,240.29 for the sheriff’s department in 2008.
The county’s tax exemption for West Fraser was to have continued until 2010.
Between 75 and 100 jobs were cut in November at West Fraser in what the company called a “market-related curtailment”.
Pictured above: The Escambia County Commission Thursday night.
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