$200 million meat plant could soon bring Columbia hundreds of jobs

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Swift Prepared Foods is looking for a new location for a $200 million Italian meats processing plant to open in 2022. And the company is considering Columbia.

Bernie Andrews, the Vice President of the Regional Economic Development Inc, said Columbia is in competition with a couple of other locations for the plant.

Andrews said the county has provided a letter of support for this project, but first has to go through the Chapter 100 process. This means the county takes the project to the taxing districts in order for them to review the project and vote.

The Chapter 100 program is a Boone County incentive policy used to bring new business to town.

Swift Prepared Foods plans to create 251 new full-time jobs over a four-year period with an average annual wage of $52,693. Jobs will range from warehouse work to upper-level management.

Andrews said besides job opportunities, this new plant would have several benefits for Columbia and Bone County.

"It's a very large and significant investment so there are real and personal property taxes for a Columbia standpoint, and it would also be a big electric and utility customer," he said.

Swift Prepared foods in seeking a 75% property tax forgiveness for 10 years. Janet Thompson with the Boone County Commission said the county wants new large businesses to come into town if it benefits the economy.

"If the only way the business is going to come here is if it gets 75% abatement, at that point, that's something the commission considers," she said.

The property under consideration for the site pays nearly $1,400 annually in real property taxes and once this facility is built it would pay significantly more, according to Andrews. He said over 10 years Columbia Public Schools would receive $3.1 million in taxes from the plant.

The Columbia Board of Education will be discussing the project during a meeting on Monday.