By BOB SHRALUKA
WZBD.com
It was a case of too little, too late for a couple of Champion Homes officials who appeared before Decatur City Council on June 2 following a one-year suspension of the company’s pair of tax abatements.
Jay Ciokjlo, current general manager of Champions operations in Decatur and Topeka, and Bruce Heslet were apologetic in an appearance before council, which had decided on the suspension two weeks earlier.
While council seemed sympathetic to the two men, neither of whom was at the plant when the abatements were requested and obtained, a vote upheld the suspension.
The council suspension came after Champion barely got its CF-1 form in ahead of a deadline, was way under what it estimated in terms of employees and wages to get the abatements, and failed to have a representative at the meeting in which the suspensions were handed down.
“Low projections, low on employees and salaries, and no representation (at the previous meeting),” Mayor Dan Rickord said.
A CF-1 form, or Compliance with Statement of Benefits, is an Indiana tax form used by companies to annually report their progress in meeting goals which they professed to gain the tax abatements.
Champion was granted 10-year abatements on real estate and personal property in June of 2023.
At that time, management estimated that it would have 232 employees when it reached full production. Champion began production in the former All American Homes plant on S. 13th St. early in 2023.
Its recent CF-1 form, however, revealed the company had just 136 workers.
LOOKING TO HIRE: Neither Ciokjlo – who began with an apology for not having a representative on hand for the previous meeting – nor Heslet were at the local plant when the request for tax abatements was originally made and granted.
Ciokjlo said an employee count at the plant the day of the meeting (June 2) showed a total of 146, adding “We are currently looking to hire now. We’ve had a good influx of business, so we’re hoping that continues.
“There is a lot of pent-up demand.”
He admitted that the 232-employee projection was “probably not what the current economy could support.”
“I’m glad your numbers are better than shown here (on the CF-1 form), but a deadline is a deadline,” Councilwoman Jenny Bowers-Shultz said. “So I still feel denial is the right thing to do.”
“We need to be fair to all the companies who have been through this process,” Councilman Matt Dyer added. “We appreciate your efforts and we want to work with industry.”
Dyer had earlier noted how city officials “were thrilled” when Champion moved into what was a closed All-American
The suspension for one year was upheld on a unanimous vote. Champion can refile next year at this time.
Ciokjlo said that definitely would happen.
2023 START: When Champion began production in the former All American plant in early 2023, approximately 100 people were working at the plant. But council was given the estimate that employment would eventually reach 232.
Champion would be investing almost $8.5 million in real estate and just over $20 million in personal property, its then-plant manager told city council in 2023.
The tax breaks are provided on a sliding scale, with no taxes paid the first year, then 10% of the tax bill is paid the second year, 20% on the third year and so on.
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