ALLEN COUNTY, Ind. (WANE) — On Thursday, Allen County officials looked at the possibility of raising local income taxes as a way to pay for the new county jail.

At Thursday’s Allen County Council (ACC) meeting, ACC President Tom Harris told WANE 15 that the Allen County Board of Commissioners (ACBC) has essentially passed the torch to ACC to figure out how to pay for the jail.

“That responsibility lies with County Council to determine how do we fund the jail for the next 20 years,” Harris said.

Commissioner Nelson Peters told WANE 15 that a request has been made for ACC to hold a public hearing to consider a local income tax increase of up to .2% in order to help fund the jail.

A spokesperson for the ACBC told WANE 15 on Tuesday that if the tax increase were to be approved, it would not be able to last for more than 25 years.

Harris said he expects to have the public hearing in either June or July.

Poster Comment:

The Flip Side: https://www.wane.com/top-stories/allen-county-council-approves- tax-abatement-for-general-motors/

Allen County Council approves tax abatement for General Motors

by: Clayton McMahan
Posted: May 18, 2023 / 08:54 PM EDT
Updated: May 18, 2023 / 11:33 PM EDT

FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE) — On Thursday, General Motors (GM) cleared the final hurdle to receive tax abatement as Allen County Council (ACC) passed a resolution in favor of the abatement.

The Allen County Board of Commissioners also approved the tax abatement on May 5, but approval from ACC was the last thing GM needed for it to be in the clear.

Elissa McGauley, director of development for Allen County, previously said the tax abatement would last for 10 years.

“We’re excited that GM continues to provide additional support and growth for their facility,” said ACC President Tom Harris.

Harris said GM plans to invest roughly $450 million into new equipment and resources at its Fort Wayne plant.

The agreement would likely not start until for a few more years, Harris said.