Boco Commission approves Aurora Organic Dairy tax break

The Boone County Commission voted unanimously Thursday to approve a 75 percent property tax abatement for a Colorado-based organic milk corporation.

Aurora Organic Dairy plans to build a processing plant in Columbia off Waco Road.

Critics of the proposal, including Scott Dye, with the Socially Responsible Agriculture Project, have said that it lacked transparency, considering the company had been interested for several years before it was revealed this past January.

ABC17 News has reported that companies often don’t reveal who they are until very late in the process. In that same article, ABC17 referenced Project Cadre, which did turn out to be Aurora Organic Dairy.

“I understand that, according to them, this is how it goes, but I was very pleased to hear the commission say, ‘We need to take a hard look at this, we need to make the taxpayers that are footing the bill for this feel more a part of the process,'” said Dye. “They listened, and that’s all anyone that tries to speak to their elected officials can ask for.”

Commissioner Fred Parry did bring up a concern about transparency during the commission meeting Thursday, but other concerns were raised as well, including transportation. For instance, the connector at Highway 63 and I-70 will most likely take much more truck traffic when this plant is built and that could cause traffic problems.

Commissioner Dan Atwill said that while they do consider the benefits, they should also weigh the costs of a project that aren’t necessarily immediately apparent.

“I’m just of the view that we should talk about those at this time and try to avoid surprises,” he said. “Those surprises can be very costly.”

Commissioner Fred Parry brought up the fact that trucks are required stage on Waco Road before they are allowed enter the Kraft Heinz plant, and that that will need to be dealt with before the plant is built. Atwill agreed.

“It will undoubtedly lead to the construction of additional roadways or a separate staging area,” said Atwill. “Those things don’t come without costs.”

Despite these reservations, the commission approved it because Atwill said there were strong indications that the numbers will work out.

“We do know there will be over 100 employees that will be on the site and will be making reasonable wages,” he said. “Those are positive things we are certain of, but it’s just a time will-tell issue with respect to other things.”

The commissioners approved the tax break, but will actually be considering revamping the policy, especially when it comes up for American Outdoor Brands, formerly Smith and Wesson Holding Corporation, which is hoping to build a distribution center in Boone County. AOB has asked for a tax break.

Dye said Thursday that he and other taxpayers were still worried about “collateral damage” from AOD’s distribution center in Boone County.

Company officials said they would be trucking the milk in from other states, but Dye said that doesn’t “pass the straight-face test.”

“Our concern is the collateral damage is going to be large-scale factory dairies,” he said. “By creating 150 jobs here we’ve created a tremendous problem for our neighboring, surrounding counties.”

Regional Economic Development president Stacey Button said they were confident in the dairy’s promise and reputation.