Published: November 03, 2009 10:14 pm      

Freeport coming to Chatsworth

CHATSWORTH — Voters here resoundingly approved three freeport measures on Tuesday’s ballot.

Initial implementation of freeport — which allows a government to reduce taxes on inventory for its businesses — will be at a 20 percent level beginning in 2011. That percentage can be increased at the discretion of the governing authority if officials believe the exemption is working to the local government’s favor, said Mayor Tyson Haynes.

The first freeport measure concerned exempting a manufacturer’s raw materials and goods-in-process, passing with 267 votes for and 40 against. The second question regarded a manufacturer’s finished goods and was approved 263 to 43. The final question concerning finished goods held for out-of-state shipments passed 266 to 48.

“I’m glad it passed,” said councilman Gary Brock, who watched the impressive tally for passage roll in. “In fact, I’m tickled to death. Maybe now we can keep what business we have here and get some new business, too. We’ll see what we can do about getting some new industry — it will be tough to do, but this will help.”

Haynes, who led the effort to implement freeport, was not surprised at the large margin of passage.

“I thought it would pass pretty overwhelmingly from the voters I talked to,” he said. “We got the message out that it would be an incentive to the business community and the (tax) burden wouldn’t be shifted to property owners. I’m just glad city voters have given us an opportunity to promote business and the economic interest of the city.”

Murray County sole commissioner David Ridley also was at the courthouse annex watching returns and was particularly interested in the freeport counts. Asked before the final tally was in if the county would put some type of freeport exemption on the ballot in 2010 — when there are no county positions up for decision — he said he’d “wait and see what Chatsworth does” with freeport.