Township Board OKs One Tax Abatement Request, Schedules Hearing on Another

The Board of Trustees took up the following items at its meeting on Wednesday:

• The board awarded United Machining Inc., located on Quadrate Drive, with tax abatements on new machinery and employees. The company received a four-year abatement on a $4.1-million investment in machinery and equipment, and a six-year abatement for new employees. With another facility in Sterling Heights, United Machining supplies exhaust manifolds and other engine components to the auto industry. Lou Sabel, the company’s general manager, said the facility has already hired about 20 employees and plans to eventually add about 100 to fill three shifts. The board of trustees opened up the floor to public comments on the abatement, but received none. “We have started operations and we plan to be here for a long time,” Sabel told the board. Township Supervisor Mark Grabow said the job creation has ancillary economic benefits when the new employees make purchases within the community. 

• Also, the board approved the SMART Municipal and Community Credit contract for the 2012 fiscal year, effectively accepting the $177,000 allocated from SMART. SMART provides public transit in Macomb, Oakland and Wayne counties. SMART community credits are accumulated throughout the year and can be used by the township to fund various projects, such as the construction of a bus garage for the township buses.

• Trustees tabled until Oct. 26 a request from the township building department to look into hiring more staff for the department. Township Building Official Dan Fairless said prior to the meeting that more staff was needed because of the retirement of a clerical staff person and workload requirements.

• Trustees also scheduled a public hearing for 7 p.m. on Nov. 9 at the Town Hall to discuss a proposed industrial facilities tax exemption for Baker Aerospace Tooling and Machining Inc.