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| Industrial
Park Guidebook | Financing
Available Sites and Buildings
We maintain an up-to-date listing of available vacant industrial
sites and buildings in Otsego County through an internet-based
database. We can assist you with identifying available properties
that meet your requirements as well as the appropriate contacts.
Infrastructure
If your plant expansion or location requires new or expanded
water, sewer, roads, gas and/or electric utilities, the OCEA
can plan, access funding and oversee development of infrastructure
to support you.
Incentives
- Tax Abatement Assistance. We can provide
assistance to companies seeking to apply for an abatement
of real and personal property taxes for new plant and equipment.
We will walk you through the forms, requirements and approval
process.
- Finance. Through our partnership with
the Otsego County Economic Development Corporation, we can
assist your manufacturing company to lower its cost to finance
investments of $1,000,000 or more through the use of tax-exempt
Industrial Development Revenue Bonds.
- Michigan Economic Growth Authority (MEGA).
If you are an employer in manufacturing, R&D, wholesale
trade and office operations or electronics, communications,
medical science and other high technology fields whose company
devotes at least 25% of operating expenses to research and
development, and you need a reason to expand or locate in
Michigan rather than another state, you may be eligible
for a high-tech job creation tax credit against the SBT.
Each credit may be awarded for up to 20 years and for up
to 100% of the tax related to the project.
- Economic Development Job Training Grant.
Economic Development Job Training (EDJT) assistance is available
through the Michigan Economic Development Corporation. The
EDJT program provides a grant for qualified specialized
training required by an employer. The employer works with
private or public education providers to design the training.
- Michigan Works! Michigan Works! is the
locally governed state workforce development program. Our
local Michigan Works! office offers several programs designed
to assist employers including:
- Michigan's Talent Bank and Job Bank,
an on-line database of people seeking jobs as well as
a database of jobs that employers are seeking to fill.
- On the Job Training (OJT). For qualified
employees, the OJT program will reimburse an employer
up to 50% of the employees wages during an agreed upon
training time period.
- Work Opportunity Tax Credits. Michigan
Works! can assist an employer with meeting eligibility
requirements for this tax credit.
- Subsidized Employment. This is a
100% wage reimbursement to employers hiring Michigan's
Work First program participants.
- Employee recruiting and screening
services.
- Pollution Control Equipment
Tax Exemption
Certified air and water pollution abatement equipment is
100% exempt from property taxes in Michigan. Certification
is approved by Michigan Department of Environmental Quality.
- Brownfield Redevelopment Authority
(BRA)
The BRA is established as a local
authority in order to allow a company to access financial
incentives available from the State of Michigan (SBT Credits,
grants and loans) and locally (Tax Increment Finance).
Michigan now allows qualified businesses to claim a credit
against the SBT, provided the taxpayer has a pre-approval
letter issued between December 31, 1999 and January 1, 2008
and the project is completed not more than five years after
the letter is issued. If the total of all credits for the
project is $1 million or less, the credit is based on 10%
of the eligible investment. If the total of all credits
for the project is greater than $1 million but not more
than $30 million, a credit is available for a percentage
of eligible investment to be determined by the Michigan
Economic Growth Authority (MEGA), but not to exceed 10%
of the eligible investment. Certain location restrictions
apply to these credits.
- Flexible Electricity Pricing
Customer choice of electric providers
was phased in through 2001. As of January 1, 2002, all customers
of Michigan's investor owned utilities will be able to select
their own provider if they choose to do so. Cooperative
utilities must offer choice to their customers with more
than 1MW of load by the same date. In addition, the new
law has a number of cost- competitive innovations that encourage
the formation of competitive electric markets. Industrial
and commercial rate classes will be able to:
- pool their power demand in order to
obtain better rates.
- purchase retail electricity.
- negotiate with power providers.
- buy wholesale power.
- Natural Gas Choice
Under Michigan's Natural Gas Customer Choice you
can shop for gas for your home or business from a diverse
market of gas suppliers. This will allow you to purchase
gas at competitive rates. The gas is still delivered through
DTE transmission lines.
Access to State Level
Economic Development Services
Through our partnership with the Michigan Economic Development
Corporation we can help you access state level services and
resources to help your company. We also work closely with
our local Michigan Works! Office and can assist you with accessing
workforce development, training and recruitment services they
provide.
Business Development
Services
Through our partnership with the Small Business Development
Center at Alpena Community College, we can provide your company
with a wide range of assistance including business planning,
financial packaging, and marketing.
Research and Information
We can provide research and information to support your company.
Whether it's finding a machine rigger or developing a potential
customer list, we can research and provide the information
you need.
Export Assistance
We can identify and put you in contact with appropriate
state and federal export assistance providers.
Liaison
with Local Government
We can ask the questions for you! The Alliance can act as
an ombudsman to look into issues your company may have involving
City, County, Township or Village government. We can research
issues, coordinate meetings and develop solutions.
Return
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 For
More Information Contact:
Jeff Ratcliffe, Executive Director
Otsego County Economic Alliance
1062 Cross Street | Gaylord, MI 49735
(989) 731-0288 | (989) 731-0289 FAX
© 2005 Otsego County Economic Alliance
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