The Cobb Board of Commissioners on Tuesday approved economic development incentives totaling nearly $500,000 for several corporate relocations and expansions, but not without an acrimonious discussion. 
Last month, commissioners delayed acting on the measures, since four of them are located in District 2, and commissioner Bob Ott was absent.
They include the in-county relocation of Floor & Decor and Bio IQ, a California-based healthcare IT firm, to new corporate offices on Windy Ridge Parkway.
At a lengthy meeting Tuesday morning, Ott (in photo) outlined detailed figures showing how the county would benefit from capping building permit and business license fees for those moves.
This time last year, commissioners implemented the Special Economic Impact Program, which reduces or waives certain fees for companies that meet specific criteria for moving to or expanding in Cobb.
The county incentives are separate from tax abatements and other incentives issued by the Development Authority of Cobb County.
Floor & Decor, now based in Smyrna, wants to to add 420 jobs in its new office space. Ott’s projections said the county would net $396,640 after the incentives, which total $38,750. Those include a one-time $5,000 cap on the building permit fee.
Another business license cap incentive totalling $90,798 for construction firm Brasfield & Gorrie drew the ire of South Cobb Commissioner Lisa Cupid. She didn’t like waiving the business license fees for the proposal, which Ott said would result in a benefit of $576,000 to the county.
Brasfield & Gorrie is planning a renovation of its headquarters near SunTrust Park, adding a projected 462 new jobs.
Her objection was part of larger concerns she expressed during the meeting in trying to explain the economic benefits of the incentives to constituents at a time when the county has been struggling to adopt a budget, including a millage rate increase last year.
“It’s important we start talking dollars and cents,” she said.
View the incentive packages
When Cupid tried to link those subjects together before the Brasfield & Gorrie vote, Chairman Mike Boyce called the question on a motion to approve that was on the table, saying her comments were “outside the scope of the issue.”
When Cupid insisted they were relevant, he called the question again.
“I’m still going to ask my question,” she said.
When Cupid said she would abstain from voting, Boyce responded that “you cannot hold this board hostage.”
He asked County Attorney Deborah Dance if an abstention was allowed, and Dance replied only “if there’s a conflict.”
Cupid said she had a conflict. The Brasfield & Gorrie incentive passed 3-1, with Cupid abstaining and new commissioner Keli Gambrill voting against.
Cupid later voted for incentives for Floor & Decor and Home Depot ($733,742 benefit after $213,000 in building permit incentives, with the promise of 700 new jobs), which is seeking to expand to office space on Interstate North Parkway.
She opposed the Bio IQ package ($288,350 benefit after $55.830 in building permit caps, a projected 500 new jobs).
Commissioners also approved building permit fee caps worth $125,000 for Edison Chastain, LLC, which wants to convert warehouse property on Chastain Meadows Road, near Bells Ferry Road, for a 152,000-square-foot office building. That would bring around 500 jobs via multiple tenants, according to the Cobb Community Development Agency.
Cupid voted for that measure, which passed 4-1 (Gambrill opposing), but added that “we need to understand our numbers going forward.”
Commissioner JoAnn Birrell said she’s received a lot of e-mail about Edison Chastain, both pro and con, but said she supported the incentives.
“We’re missing the whole point of what it’s going to bring in in the long run,” she said.
Near the end of the meeting, Cupid stressed that “it’s got to get back to how we’re providing services, how we’re serving citizens.”
Boyce said in reference to the incentives that “I think we did a good thing for the county.”
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