(Spirit Lake)– A Highway nine and 71 business owner is asking the city of Spirit Lake to let him take advantage of an incentive program for improvements he made to his business several years ago.
Terry Veldman, owner of the Pizza Ranch, Tuesday requested the city council to make a tax abatement program for building improvements retroactive to 2001 when he made his improvements. The three-year abatement at that time was available only to businesses in the downtown area. It has since been expanded city-wide.
The council took no action on Veldman’s request. Assistant City Attorney Greg Owen said he’ll look into the legality of doing that.
Councilman Steve Balm said he wants to know how many businesses would then be eligible for abatements and how that would effect the city’s finances. He says if they open it up, they’d have to offer it to any business that made improvements since 2001.
On a related note, the council reviewed a request for a 10-year abatement from Jim Rahfaldt who wants to build a Perkins Restaurant. Tax Increment Financing is also being requested. Owen said he’ll have to research the legality of using both tax abatement and TIF for such a project.
The council also approved a 198,500-dollar agreement with Beck Engineering for engineering services on the third and fourth phases of Southern Hills Addition that would make an additional 122 single family lots available for construction.
