ELKHART -- Even if they bring coffee cake, George Weston Bakeries Inc. officials won't leave Saturday morning's meeting with a tax abatement.
Elkhart County Council members said as much Thursday during their finance committee meeting.
"When you look at abatements historically, they don't work," said councilman C.J. Yoder. "Companies leave, they don't create the jobs they say they're going to create, they don't create the level of jobs they say they're going to create."
It doesn't help that the fresh-baked goods plant would pay an average of $15 an hour, less than many existing manufacturers, councilmen said.
But they do want the company to build its $48 million facility in Remington Industrial Park north of Elkhart, and they're willing to help out however they can short of a tax break.
That could include a Tax Incremental Financing district to fund infrastructure or lobbying Elkhart city officials to cut or waive hefty fees on the development. Councilmen also said they'll play up the existing benefits of being in Elkhart County, including a relatively low tax rate.
"You could look at tax abatements or tax phase-ins as giving away something you don't have -- if you don't give them, you don't get anything at all," council president John Letherman said. "The other side of the argument is St. Joe County has $50 million in tax abatements and their taxes are sky high."
Not only has the county never granted a tax abatement, a proposal for one has never even made it to a council meeting.
Representatives of Allen Foods, the Weston affiliate applying for the abatement, will be the first ones when they come Saturday. A company spokesman did not return a call seeking comment Thursday, but has said a tax abatement is "critical" for the project.
Pennsylvania-based George Weston Bakeries makes Entenmann's doughnuts, cakes, cookies and Danish pastries, Thomas' English Muffins and Boboli pizza crust products, among other baked goods.
Councilmen did say they're open to discussing a policy for considering abatements in the future. They'll talk more about it at their annual retreat early next year.
County Attorney Gordon Lord encouraged them to make a policy that's different than Elkhart and Goshen's, since undeveloped parts of the county have different issues than the cities.