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A pair of economic development projects were placed on the agenda of Thursday’s Jefferson County Commission meeting after a discussion Tuesday.
U.S. Steel Seamless Tubular Operations LLC is investing $463 million with $222 million for the building and $241 million for equipment. The company is seeking a grant for new jobs created with the project.
The project is expected to create 152 jobs with an average salary of $35.36 per hour. This request comes on the heels of the commission approving abatement of noneducation sales and use taxes during the construction phase and a 10-year abatement of noneducation property taxes.
The abatement package and jobs grant are capped at $456,000.
The county’s return on investment is expected to be $16,402,145 to the general fund and $42,552,503 to the education fund.
“We just appreciate our partnership with the county,” said Paul Vercher, the company’s senior director of state governmental affairs. “As U.S. Steel continues to invest money, obviously, the better partnerships you have, the more opportunities you have. We’re thankful for the partnerships, the friendships and the opportunities. We’re looking forward to getting more jobs here in Jefferson County too.”
Also moving to Thursday’s agenda is a Drummond Company project with ABC Coke at 900 Huntsville Avenue in Tarrant. The company is making a total of capital investment of $182,987,000 to construct, equip and install replacement coke ovens and equipment in support of foundry operations.
Drummond is seeking approval of an abatement of noneducational taxes. The county is expected to experience a $686,201 return on its investment.
