$12 million investment coming in new plant located in former Eutectics building

Mike McCracken sold his company, IVC Industrial Coatings, to PPG several years ago. PPG still makes powder coatings in a building east of Great Dane. Now, McCracken says he is "on the last step" to starting a new powder coatings company in the former Eutectics plant off Tower Road on Brazil's east side. The company name is Indiana Powder Coatings, Inc. McCracken plans to invest more than $12 million in his new company. "Powder coatings are very expensive to get into," he told us. When Indiana Powder Coatings Inc. starts up in early January, McCracken plans to have 20 full time/part time employees on board. Trucks will have to be able to reach the plant. "That's up to the county," McCarcken said. "They're talking about putting in a road some place. That's entirely up to them. As long as we have truck access, we're happy." The Brazil City Council passed on first reading tax abatement for 10 years on real and personal property taxes. Those taxes will be abated on a sliding scale over 10 years. The first year, McCracken's company will pay 10 percent of the taxes and by the end of the 10 years, it will pay 100 percent. Real tax concerns real estate and personal property tax is on property owned by the company, such as equipment. The tax abatement will receive final approval after about a month, when time is given for public comment. The City Council also granted McCracken's company a temporary exception to city truck routes until the county can build an access road. In other business: • The City Council created a Brazil Police Department Forfeited Asset Fund for the purpose of holding drug money found in vehicles during traffic stops. Currently, an attorney is holding money confiscated from three such arrests. The fund was established in accordance with the Indiana Code which allows for confiscation of such money. It will be used for officer training and other department uses. The money will be disbursed after Chief Clint McQueen approaches the City Council and obtains permission. • The Council passed rezoning requests for 3731 W. S.R. 340 to Local Business, 227 S. Lambert to Transition from Residential to Business and 1244 and 1300 E. Hendrix from Residential to Local Business. The City Council meeting was moved to the building just west of the new police station/utility office due to a bad odor from epoxy applied in the City Building.