DevelopOhio

Westerville City Council recently approved tax incentives for Exceptional Innovation and Dasco Home Medical Equipment, both of which were recommended by Economic Development Administrator Jason Bechtold, ThisWeek Community News reports. Bechtold said the tax abatements “could help ‘support and retain’ 285 new jobs in Westerville,” according to the article. Exceptional Innovation recently acquired the SmarTV Co. and Quadriga Worldwide Ltd., and is looking at office locations across the country. The company will receive a “seven-year, 40 percent” abatement for new income-tax growth. That abatement is high because Bechtold’s department is “countering an ‘aggressive incentive’ from Queens,” where the company has an existing office that it could expand instead of the Westerville location. If the company chooses Westerville, it will “add 102 new jobs and $9.1 million in new payroll,” Bechtold said. Dasco is “experiencing ‘tremendous growth’” and was given an income-tax abatement of 25 percent “based on payroll attributable to new employees for a five-year period between 2016 and 2020.” The company expects to add 50 jobs during that period, which could generate about $90,000 in new income-tax revenue for the city.