The Common Council gave its approval this week to the creation of special taxing districts that will reduce the amount of taxes a pair of Illinois businesses would have to pay to the city when they relocate in Gary, but Mayor Karen Freeman-Wilson said the city will benefit by the jobs that will soon be created.
The council on Wednesday voted 8-0 to approve the taxing districts known as economic revitalization areas that are what swayed
Edsal Manufacturing Co. of Chicago's Back of the Yards neighborhood and
T&B Tube Co., Inc., which has been in South Holland for 33 years, to say earlier this year they would move to Gary.
Freeman-Wilson said following the council's approval that she thinks the first benefits of the agreement will be seen on Friday, which is when a job fair will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the JWA Boys and Girls Club, 2700 W. 19th Ave.
Edsal officials told the council's finance committee last week they intended to have their recruiters present at the job fair, and that they were ready to hire many of the 30-50 people who will be needed by Edsal for them to open their plant later this month in the former Chicago Steel Building facility on 497 acres of land at 700 E. Chase St.
They also said they hoped to have about 300 employees in place by July, and Freeman-Wilson said many of those people could wind up getting job offers if they participate in the Friday job fair.
"I hope people come out and take this seriously. I hope they dress to impress," the mayor said, adding that Edsal is, "looking to hire people rather quickly, and we can use more jobs."
Wednesday's council approval for economic revitalization areas for Edsal and for T&B Tube at a former lumberyard at 4000 E. 7th Ave. is the first step in local government approval to benefit the businesses that want to move to Gary.
Edsal, which has facilities in California, Pennsylvania and Tennessee, along with China, has signed a five-year lease, with options to renew for another 30 years. The company manufactures industrial furniture and supplies companies such as Home Depot and Menards, while T&B Tube manufactures metal rails.
Council President Kyle Allen said public hearings tentatively are scheduled for June 2 and that more council action and review will occur during the summer.
He said people will be able to ask questions and get more information about the deals at that time, and said people who think these economic revitalization areas are being rushed through the government process are wrong.
"This is the first step in the process," Allen said. "There's no way we are disenfranchising the public."
Dan Botich, an executive with Merrillville-based Center & Co. who helped put the deal together, expressed a similar thought, saying the confirming resolution that the council will have to approve later this year to advance the deal will provide the city with chances to protect the public if something were to go wrong.
"This is the first step, it's not the final say," he said of Wednesday's vote.