A paperwork snafu delayed a tax abatement for the U.S. Cold Storage project in Hebron but the abatement was issued after the council recently approved the required paperwork.
Mike Wieser, a contractor with the auditor’s office, said that when a tax abatement is established, paperwork, including a statement of benefits outlining what the company will bring to the area, has to be filed with the auditor’s office so that it is aware of the tax structure.
Every year after that, through the length of the tax abatement, the property owner or county official has to annually file paperwork, known as a CF-1 form, with the auditor’s office to document that it is meeting the job creation and investment requirements that were established when the project was approved, Wieser said.
The Cold Storage project, which broke ground in 2023, was approved for an economic revitalization area in a resolution by the Lake County Council in 2017.
“The project was first approved in 2017; however, it was updated and the council refreshed the ERA designation in October 2023,” said Council President Christine Cid, D-5th. “They have since completed the new structure as well as purchase of new equipment as identified in the statement of benefits.”
The first time the property qualified for its tax deductions was in 2025, according to records, but the company was sent a tax bill without the abatement because the proper paperwork establishing the tax abatement wasn’t filed with the office, Wieser said.
The Lake County Council approved the CF-1 forms for 2025 and 2026 Tuesday, as well as reapproved its resolution establishing the economic revitalization area for the project. The 2025 property tax abatement was for 100% on the improvements, Cid said, which totals $36.8 million.
U.S. Cold Storage Inc. has invested $73.5 million into the property and hired 63 employees, and it committed to investing $59.5 million and creating 60 jobs, which means it has met its obligations, a representative from the company said Tuesday.
The company did not respond to requests for additional comment.
Wieser said the auditor’s office has received the CF-1 forms and sent out a corrected tax bill on Tuesday.
Now that the auditor’s office has established the tax abatement in its system, Wieser said it’s unlikely that an incorrect tax bill will be sent out because the office’s system will show the property has a tax abatement established.
“Once it’s in there, next year we can look for the CF-1,” Wieser said.
akukulka@post-trib.com
