MASON CITY – The City of Mason City and Prestage Foods of Iowa are pleased to share additional terms to the pending Development Agreement being considered by the City Council. Prestage Foods approached officials to discuss items that are in line with their core company values to create mutually beneficial solutions that address legitimate concerns voiced by citizens.
The company fully recognizes the importance of local schools, and understands the concerns about how they will be able to address potential growth. As part of the company’s commitment to ensure that they are a positive community steward, they have committed $1.4 million over 10 annual installments to Mason City Public Schools.
“While I cannot speak for the Board, from my perspective this is a wonderful commitment from Prestage Foods that shows their desire to be an important community partner,” School Superintendent Anita Micich said. “These funds will assist the schools in our planning and preparation for new students and any challenges that may bring. We are excited about the possibilities and look forward to providing all of our students with the best education possible.”
In addition, the company is acutely aware of the concerns of citizens and community partners regarding the potential for future development of hog confinements near communities and important waterways. Prestage Farms has included language in the Development Agreement guaranteeing the company will not build or operate any hog confinements within 2.5 miles of the city limits of the City of Mason City, the City of Clear Lake, or surrounding Clear Lake itself.
Clear Lake City Administrator Scott Flory said, “The City’s most pressing concern, as it relates to the proposal, was the potential introduction of confinement operation facilities in proximity to the Lake watershed. Prestage Farm’s willingness to respect the City’s concerns for the Lake watershed protection is very helpful and appreciated.”
Mayor Nelson Crabb said, “Prestage Farms and the Mason City elected officials recognition of the concerns that were expressed by Clear Lake for the watershed and their collective efforts to develop a favorable solution is a step in the right direction.”
ATTENTION PRESTAGE!!!!! How about YOU backing out of this hog shit you brought to our town. Put we the people out of our misery! Go somewhere they are all in agreement and slide right into your paradise of more money. Do your conscience a favor and move along. If you have one that is.
Any concessions should be attached to the property as an easement, such that any future owner would also be required to abide by the terms of the agreement.
The turnover rate of company ownership is relatively high for this industry.
As written about in “Slaughterhouse blues”, By Don Stull and Michael Broadway the industry “distributes costs”. This means to acquire and keep a low cost labor force a company distributes the costs to the surrounding community tax payers. These costs include increased needs by the school district for education. The company should also be required to pay for a bond to act as a form of insurance should unexpected events unfold in the future impacting the financial stability of the school system. The Postville school system was almost bankrupt by a raid removing undocumented workers in 2008.
There is no reason to give this company any property tax relief. No other municipality in the state wants a pork kill facility in their back yard. They have no other place to go. Demand concessions until they back away, then decide if they are a fit with Mason City values. Negotiate the best contract to protect Mason City and surrounding community.
maybe we should bulldoze that shithole ghost town of a mall Southbridge and build the slaughterhouse there. Bring jobs back to downtown!!!!
You do realize that with the 7% sales tax 1% of all sales tax collected already goes to the schools and 1% to city government – What ? /Where? do I benefit ?????
Can you say bribe / kickback /smoke and mirrors ?
They told me “this is the way the new business is done” when i asked them why the city paid out humongous checks to corporations like Titan Pro and Mckesson. I called it corporate welfare and said the city should stop Immediately, and invest instead in their own people and infrastructure. They said businesses would ” pout and pull out”…I said “Let em”. Difference in philosophy on how to govern. The people chose their way by electing one of their own. And they call themselves “Conservatives”. What a joke.
For what monetary gain would you sell your SOUL ? These days when honesty mean nothing in politics I would venture to say this deal seems somewhat cloudy and corrupt.
You dummies are being DUPED and too stupid to realize it . Carolina dreamers. Obammaland.
Let me get this right we give this shit hole 15 million in tax breaks? Then they give us 1.5 million of it back. They want to act like their giving us their money back. This is totally retarded. They should not get a red cent. This is completely ass backward. We should not give one penny to this company. The city council is a bunch of sheep or should I say pigs.
We will have to seal the transcripts of this transaction for 10 years.
Graduated from college (major accounting) taxpayers cough up 4.5 million per year in TIF -which means the taxes on this venture will be paid to cerro gordo county by the taxpayers of cerro gordo county – your taxes will increase by 5% or more on average for the next 10 years to pay the tax bill for Prestige farms – add on the 10’s of millions for the water/sewer system and it will add more to your tax bill. Let’s see – then they give back 1/10 per year of what you pay them and it goes to the schools? What does the average citizen get from all this baloney? Right! Higher taxes/putrid environment/and hogshit along with a deteiration in quality of health and lifestyle. Sounds like a good old boy obamma slammer.
between this deal and the downtown deal..get ready for MC bankruptcy and HUGE hikes to taxes
Nobody is talking about the turnover rate, which will effect everything from school monies per student to who will replace the local workers once the 52 hour work weeks get old..
This vote was already tainted by what Jon Lee posted, and was copied reposted on here. Seems like members of our council are profiting directly or indirectly by allow MC to becoming the “armpit of Iowa”…the mohawks now are the Mason City Hoggers.
so what happens when Lee is wrong and this blows up in his face? Is he going to quit and leave like he did Mohawk football, after they couldn’t win a game? Or is he going to stay and raise his kids in this rundown cesspool he helped create?
Yet they speak nothing of the mass brutality and systematic killing of 20,000 animals per day. That doesnt mean shit to anybody. And NO, i don’t eat bacon, nor any other pork product, and neither should you.
Please watch this video, “The Impact of Factory Farming on the Environment in North Carolina”, https://youtu.be/A6QTfFUxSR8, this will be Mason City Iowas Future.
This is a ribbon on a PIG !!!!!! Smiling faces sometimes pretend to be your friend. People are so dumb around here. Of course she is for it…anyone who would change an iconic school name has issues to begin with. .
Watch the school Board meeting. Discussion about about money given to other community school district of population of 9,000 was 15million. Why is Mason City getting 1.4 million total to be paid out over 10 years. What ??????????? how is this a good deal for MC?
What exactly does 140,000 a year produce from the school system?
That’s like 1 more administrators salary. It’s not like they’ll use that money to hire more teachers or build any improvements. It will go to a bureaucrat.
I do like the fact they are willing to work with the people and help with some of their concerns.
you are a retard
At least SOMEONE’s thinking of the children!!!
not prestage or city council!!! The schools will be left in the dust.
Problem is that it seems the citizens don’t want this plant. So hopefully our elected council will do what the people want.
Some cities have a Wellhead Protection program or at least something very similar to that in place. These types of programs (ordinances) usually set up or callout specific distances in which certain types of chemcals, farming practices, business practices etc. are prohibited.
Nobody wants liquid manure, fertilizer or any other toxicities introduced into their water supply. There’s already enough stuff in our water, the way it is.
That still doesn’t even cover the tax break Drunkmayor and his crew offered them.
2.5 miles is not enough!!