Kosciusko County Council made the first move Thursday on a tax abatement for a Silver Lake chicken grower planning to expand.

Precision Pullets plans to double the size of its facility at a cost of $2.5 million and add two employees at a salary of $84,000 each, attorney Steve Snyder told council. The expansion will allow it to process 1-1/2 million poultry a year, he said.

Snyder said the company uses state-of-the-art equipment and is almost fully automated, needing only four employees currently.

Because of the nature of the business, which doesn’t meet the definition of a manufacturer, Snyder said Precision Poultry can only qualify for an abatement on real estate and not on equipment.

Council approved a declaratory resolution on establishing an economic revitalization area for the business. A public hearing will be scheduled in preparation for tax abatement consideration.