MISHAWAKA — Mishawaka Mayor Jeff Rea has vetoed a tax abatement that was awarded earlier by Mishawaka Common Council to Long Term Care Investments for its Douglas Road nursing home.

The company originally requested a 10-year abatement, but the council, believing that was too long, passed a three-year abatement with an 8-1 vote June 1.

Many council members said they struggled with the decision, but they supported the abatement, noting that the benefits of the building such as new jobs outweighed the costs.

The mayor issued a letter Wednesday to the council, vetoing the abatement. He wrote that "the administration (had) opposed this resolution from the start and that had been articulated in comments both in correspondence and at the appropriate meetings."

Rea did go on to say he is not opposed to the project in general, only the abatement.

Attached to the letter, he reissued a list of questions the council had been given before the June 1 vote in order to reiterate the stance of the city planning department, which opposes the abatement as well.

According to the question-and-answer section of the letter, without the abatement the project probably would still happen, "particularly given a competitor’s request has been filed on the adjacent property."

The letter also said that this is "the fastest growing area of Mishawaka," and bringing in new developments is not an issue.

City planner Kenneth Prince spoke in opposition of the abatement at the June 1 meeting. He was concerned with the effect of recent property tax caps and how this and future abatements could lead to more cuts if the property is abated.

The council now can override the veto. To do that, one council member at their meeting Monday can make a motion to override the veto. If that motion is seconded, it will then go to a vote.

In order for the veto to be overridden, it must pass with at least six votes, or a two-thirds majority.

If no motion is made, then the veto stands, according to Common Council President Ron Banicki, D-6th District.

The nursing home will be a one-story, 70,000-square-foot building with 100 beds, and is an $18 million investment. The facility will bring 120 new full-time jobs to the city with wages ranging from $14 to $21 per hour plus benefits, according to reports. It is to be built on East Douglas road across from the WSBT building.

Staff writer Ashley Charnley:
acharnley@sbtinfo.com
(547) 247-7755