The Washington County Board has granted a tax abatement to a Wisconsin company that wants to relocate in Lake Elmo and create as many as 50 new jobs.
Valley Cartage of Hudson is a transportation logistics firm. The company plans to open a headquarters on Interstate 94 but said the expansion will be possible only if real estate taxes on the property at 8665 Hudson Blvd. are abated.
Earlier, the city of Lake Elmo approved an abatement of city taxes.
"Tax abatement is an attempt to overcome what we think is an onerous taxing situation for Minnesota businesses," Lake Elmo's city administrator, Dean Zuleger, told the County Board.
Salaries of new jobs could range from $35,000 to $90,000, Zuleger said.
The county's abatement won't exceed $20,000 over four years, when the agreement will end.
Commissioners said the abatement was a fair trade for expanding the county's tax base.
kevin Giles
