Nelson Fiscal Court approves bourbon distillery industrial revenue bonds

By JIM BROOKS
Nelson County Gazette/ WBRT Radio

Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2015, 8 p.m. — Nelson Fiscal Court Tuesday approved industrial revenue bond resolutions for Heaven Hill Brands, Jim Beam and the Bardstown Bourbon Co.

From left, magistrates Sam Hutchins and Keith Metcalfe listen during a discussion Tuesday at Nelson Fiscal Court.

For Heaven Hill and Beam, the bonds represent an expansion of their ongoing operations.

Heaven Hill is planning to be three new bourbon warehouses at a site in Cox’s Creek with room for additional warehouses. At Beam’s Booker Noe Distillery in Boston, the company is planning to add up to three additional warehouses in addition to the three they have added to the site in recent years.

“When these projects are completed, the county will have benefited $333,000 in new revenue every year,” Watts said. “It’s a win-win for the community, it solidifies the industry and the jobs in the community.”

Despite the fact that the county will receive no property tax on the properties, the county will receive tax on the distilled spirits the warehouses contain. The county will receive $18,500 in tax from each warehouse that is built once they are storing bourbon. The local schools systems will receive a much greater share of the tax revenue generated by the stored distilled spirits.

County government gets 37 cents per barrel per year in tax revenue, Watts told the court.

REC BOARD APPOINTMENTS. The court approved four appointments to the county’s new five-member recreational advisory board.

Magistrate Bernard Ice.

The new members include District 1 Magistrate Keith Metcalfe, Ramon Pineiroa, John Cecil and Sue Rogers. Cecil and Rogers previously served on the old joint city-county recreation board.

TAX MORATORIUMS. The court approved requests for five-year property tax assessment moratoriums for two properties:

— The former Keene’s Depot at 8 Old Bloomfield Pike. Owner Patrick Hayden plans to spend up to $450,000 and create four retail spaces.

— A home in the 10000 block of Louisville Road. Owner David L. Shafer plans to either spend $10,000 to either repair the home or demolish it.’

In other business, the court —

— declared a Caterpillar backhoe surplus. The county will advertise it for sale and accepted sealed bids.

— approved a request by Bob Tilley, pastor of Lighthouse Apostolic Faith Church, 80 Balltown Connector, to place a sign on property owned by Leo Walker at the corner of New Haven Road and Balltown Connector.

— heard that the county’s new salt barn is completed. The new barn will allow the county to store more than enough road salt for the average winter. County engineer Jim Lemieux told the court he will soon order 1,000 tons of salt to go with the county’s existing stockpile.

— approved updates to some of the employment county’s policies.

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