A pair of forthcoming industrial development projects are set to sink a combined $24 million in capital investment into Cullman County, creating 18 new jobs and laying the groundwork for potential additional expansion as the businesses grow beyond their initial stages.

The Cullman County Commission granted non-educational tax abatements to the two projects at its regular meeting this week, with each project currently going by code names assigned by the Cullman Economic Development Agency (CEDA) until they are formally announced.

The larger project, identified as “Project Tank,” received a $1,186,986 tax abatement over 10 years for the unnamed construction industry company’s capital investment of $22.46 million to build a production facility in unincorporated Cullman County. CEDA project manager Stanley Kennedy told commissioners that the business will create 12 new jobs with starting salaries of between $62,000 and $83,000 per year, and that the company has tentative plans to expand once their initial operations are established.

“We’re pretty excited to have this project; it’s going to be a hub in the [construction] industry that it represents,” said Kennedy. “We look forward to announcing this one. The company will save $1.18 million in taxes over a 10-year period, but they will create $772,000 in educational revenues, and they will being paying high salaries that will have additional positive economic impact in our community.”

Codenamed “Project Home,” the second company to receive a local tax abatement plans to invest $1.95 million for a production facility in unincorporated Cullman County. Kennedy said the company is a Cullman-based startup whose product marks “an innovation in structure building” with practical applications for FEMA-coordinated disaster relief as well as national defense, and that the project’s confidentiality will be maintained until its formal announcement.

The non-education tax abatement will save the local company $107,829 over 10 years, though Kennedy noted the project is expected to generate an approximate $66,000 in school taxes over that same period. “It will create six new jobs, but I think that’s just the beginning,” said Kennedy. “I think that, once this product gets running, we’ll see a lot bigger growth.”

In other business at its regular meeting, the commission:

Approved a contract amendment with JMR+H Architecture, PC of Montgomery to reflect a a revised fee schedule that will reduce costs to the county associated with the courthouse ventilation upgrade project by approximately 5 percent.

• Entered into a service agreement with ABM Building Solutions, LLC for a comprehensive infrastructure energy savings plan that will assess and recommend upgrades for county building infrastructure. The plan is aimed at reducing ongoing energy consumption costs related to the use of LED lighting, automatic faucets, and other energy and resource efficiency measures.
• Awarded a bid of $934,695 to Jet-Pep, Inc. of Holly Pond for construction of a Pandemic Response Center at the site of the old Cullman Rescue Squad on Sportsman Lake Road.
• Authorized members of the staff of the Cullman Area Rural Transportation System (CARTS) to travel to this year’s CTAA Roadeo and Expo event in Louisville, Kentucky.
• Approved a one-time allocation of $2,000 to the CRMC Foundation to help the hospital fund the purchase of specialized Critical Care Unit (CCU) beds.

Approved the purchase of 6 dump truck chassis (at a cost of $171,990 apiece) and, in a separate measure, 6 dump truck bodies (at a cost of $29,651 apiece), via the joint bid program of the Association of County Commissions of Alabama (ACCA), to be used by the county road department. Associate commissioner Garry Marchman noted that the cost of the equipment will be offset by the sale of current equipment and associated tax savings.

• Entered into a lease agreement with Victim Services of Cullman to facilitate a $500,000 Victim Services grant for improvements to the county-owned building that houses the agency’s offices.
• Declared surplus 4 ovens from the Cullman County Detention Center to be sold at govdeals.com.
• Approved a plat proposal for Logan West subdivision, a minor subdivision containing 5 housing lots on County Roads 844 818.
• Awarded a road bid for full depth reclamation with Portland cement to Clanton-based Chilton Contractors, a measure that will be deployed for several of the road department’s upcoming repaving projects.

Awarded ongoing bids for road base materials to Vulcan Materials, Asphalt, and Construction, LLC and to Wiregrass Construction, Inc., with individual materials acquisitions to be based on proximity to a given county road project as well as availability.

• Awarded a bid for materials hauling to Carcel & G Construction, LLC of Hanceville.
• Awarded a bid for structural steel to Horton-based Shelton Steel Inc. for materials for a bridge replacement project in the Joppa community.
• Adopted a resolution adopting model policies and procedures applicable to federal awards to non-federal agencies as required by 2 CFR Part 200, an administrative requirement for the receipt of federal funds via the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA).
• Proclaimed the month of April a month of awareness in Cullman County for both the prevention of child abuse and sexual assault.
• Approved a speed limit change to 25 mph on a portion of County Road 349.
• Approved a speed limit change to 15 mph on a portion of County Roads 1747 and 1748.
• Approved

a reversionary agreement with the Alabama Forestry Commission for use of a John Deere Cab Crawler loader.

• Approved the minutes of the commission’s March 15 regular meeting.

The next commission meeting will be held at 6 p.m. on May 17 in the commission meeting room of the Cullman County Courthouse. A 4 p.m. public work session will precede the meeting at the same location.