NEW PHILADELPHIA ‒ The city collected $708,486.73 more in income tax revenue last year, an increase Mayor Joel Day attributes to the expansion of Battle Motors and other businesses in the city.
“When you get that kind of jump and the number of jobs that Battle has added, it has to be a direct correlation,” he said. “But not just Battle Motors, Freeport Press, Gradall, many of our small businesses have added employees, so it has that cumulative effect. It’s an indication that the economy in New Philadelphia is growing, and so is the city. That’s very encouraging.”
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In 2022, Battle Motors completed an addition that expanded the factory at 1951 Reiser Ave SE from 125,000 square feet to 325,000 square feet. Battle Motors has hired 220 employees in the last year and a half.
The company is a leader in the professional truck industry, providing customized and purpose-built vehicles for the waste and recycling, infrastructure maintenance, ground support, multi-station distribution, agriculture and oil and gas markets.
With the extra tax revenue, New Philadelphia can do things like upgrade the city’s water system, pave more roads, replace equipment and make park improvements, Day said.
“There are all kinds of improvements to city services that we can do when you have that kind of revenue,” the mayor said. “And, of course, paying people, too. We’re competing with other employers in this city. And that has to be taken into account.
“The way I like to grow a city is not by raising taxes, but by expanding your tax base. That’s what’s happening here. Our employers are growing, creating more jobs, and as a result we’re collecting more payroll taxes and more net income taxes.”
In his mayoral report to the city council on Monday, Day also noted:
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- National grocery chain Petco is in the process of getting permits to build its new store on Bluebell Drive NW at the north edge of Menard. Construction is expected to start this year.
- Two other proposed business developments are in the pipeline – a car wash at the south Menard’s location at 611 Bluebell Drive and a dental clinic at 175 Marketplace Commons SW behind Buffalo Wild Wings.
- This week, the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency will begin the second phase of an environmental study on the former Puritan Laundry property on the east side of Mill Avenue SW. The site was used to store dry cleaning fluid for a laundromat, which closed after it burned on August 30, 1985. The study is necessary so the city can take ownership of the property once the study is completed. Demolition of the buildings on the west side of Mill Avenue should be done this month. The city is awaiting an asbestos abatement survey report.
- The Tuscarawas County Transportation Improvement District Board has completed discussions and will select a consultant to study the redesign of the Interstate 77/US Route 250 interchange in New Philadelphia. The findings of the study will be used to apply for construction funding from the Ohio Department of Transportation and the Federal Department of Transportation.