Unicell pays off late taxes

BROWNSTOWN - A company with plans to reopen the former Kieffer Paper/Pulp Mill has followed through on at least one part of an agreement that could eventually lead to new jobs.

That would be good economic news to a town that's lost jobs with the closing of a candy distribution center, a mill and an automotive parts plant in the past 18 months.

"Personally, I think their making a payment really demonstrates their good faith that they want to see something happening in Brownstown," Jim Plump said of Unicell Holdings Inc.'s decision to pay $110,348.60 in back property taxes on the former paper and pulp mill. He is executive director of Jackson County Industrial Development Corp., an organization established in 1984 to attract industry to the county.

The mill closed in the late 1990s, and was purchased by Unicell, part of the Sharma Group of Companies, in December 2003. Sharma operates tissue paper mills in South Africa, Swaziland, Trinidad and Tobago, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom and Zambia.

The company originally committed to investing about $35 million in the mill and creating 67 jobs by 2006. The firm also agreed to pay back taxes of $213,024.49, which has been accomplished. The company also is up-to-date on taxes owed for this year, too. Half of the back taxes were paid.

Over the years, the company has paid its property taxes but still owed over $110,348.58 in back taxes. Earlier this year, Jackson County Council and the company worked out an agreement that required the company to pay the back property taxes by Sept. 1.

The agreement also requires the company to begin construction at the plant by the end of this year and begin the hiring process by Aug. 1, 2009. In return, the council agrees to not offer the property on the next real and personal property tax sale.

Plump said he believes the council was comfortable with the agreement, and he knows that company officials were pleased that the council was willing to work with them, understanding some of the delays because of utility costs and a variety of other issues.

Plump said he knows the company has put a tremendous amount of engineering work into construction work to try to position the Brownstown mill for operations as well as a lot of work into obtaining proper state permitting.

"This is the best point we've been at," Plump said.