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Tax Increment Financing Agreement Town of Freetown and S&S Freetown LLC This Agreement is made this 16th day of December 2002 by and between the Town of Freetown, a municipal corporation duly organized under the laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, having a place of business at Freetown Town Hall, 3 North Main Street, Freetown, Massachusetts 02702, acting through the Board of Selectmen (hereinafter called "the Town") and S&S Freetown LLC, a Massachusetts Limited Liability Company, with a business address at 1385 Hancock Street, Quincy, MA 02169 (hereinafter called "the Company"). This Agreement will take effect on the later of (i) final approval by the Massachusetts Economic Assistance Coordinating Council and (ii) the Company (or one of its affiliates) becoming an owner or lessee of the Facility (as defined below). WHEREAS, the Company wishes to construct a state-of-the-art distribution center in Freetown on real property to be purchased or leased by the Company (or by one of its affiliates) (street address to be determined) located entirely within the boundaries of the Greater New Bedford Regional ETA and the South Main Street Industrial EOA, which have been designated as such by the Massachusetts Economic Assistance Coordinating Council (such real property and the warehouse and distribution center to be constructed therein hereinafter collectively referred to as ("the Facility") and obtain certain tax exemptions from the Town for said Facility, and WHEREAS, the Company has embarked upon a strategy of significant capital investment in plant, equipment and job creation at its planned Facility in Freetown; WHEREAS, the Facility will further economic development goals and the criteria established for the ETA and the EOA; WHEREAS, by vote of the Town Meeting on October 28th, 2002 (the "Town Meeting Vote"), the Town was authorized to enter into a Tax Increment Financing Agreement with the Company in the form hereof, NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the mutual promises contained herein, the parties to mutually agree as follows: A. The Company's Obligations 1. The Company, through its affiliate, shall own or lease approximately one million, one hundred, and thirty thousand (1,130,000) square feet of buildings in Freetown (street address to be determined) to expand the Company's distribution operations. The proposed warehouse and distribution Facility anticipates construction of two large buildings each in excess of 500,000 square feet along with a truck maintenance and fueling facility with an approximate value of $44,875,000. 2. Construction of the Facility will require the employment of approximately 300-500 construction workers during the development phase of the Facility through completion. Operation of the Facility will directly and indirectly employ between 600 and 750 new and existing workers within the first five (5) years after commencement of operations at the Facility. The Company, through its affiliate, expects to operate a distribution center in the Facility and, through its affiliates, shall exercise good faith efforts to maintain the level of jobs described as long as this Agreement is in effect. 3. Subject to applicable law and assuming equal qualification, the Company shall cause its affiliates to reasonably cooperate with Job Training Partnership Act programs and the Division of Employment and Training of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, the Town of Freetown, the Fall River Career Center, the City of New Bedford Office of Employment and Training and other agencies, as appropriate, in seeking to fill vacancies at the Facility from the local community. The Company, through its affiliates, shall, assuming equal qualification, afford preference in hiring to qualified residents of the Town of Freetown who meet the Company's standards for hiring with respect to new jobs created at the Facility. The Company, through its affiliates, shall, to the extent reasonable, assuming equal qualification, and after the preference to Freetown residents as described above, provide preference in hiring to qualified residents of the Fall River Economic Target Area and the Greater New Bedford Economic Target Area for the remaining new jobs at the Facility. All of the terms of this Section 3 shall be implemented in a manner that does not result in the violation of any federal or state law or regulation, or operate against the best interest of the Company or its affiliates. 4. The Company shall encourage the general contractor construting the Facility to make all good faith efforts to use local qualified contractors for construction of the Facility. The Company shall also make all reasonable efforts to use qualified local contractors for any future repairs or renovations to the Facility. Further, the Town expresses its preference that the Company use local contractors who have training programs to encourage the training of a skilled workforce. 5. If the Company decides to transfer control of the Facility or business and/or the operations therein to an entity that is either affiliated or not affiliated with the Company, the Company shall make good faith efforts to give the Town at least sixty (60) days prior notice of said transfer. Said notice shall be given by certified mail, return receipt requested or by a reputable overnight delivery service, to the Board of Selectmen, Town of Freetown, 3 North Main Street, Freetown, Massachusetts, 02702, which notice shall include the name, address and description of the transferee. Upon any such assignment, said assignee shall be bound by Company, and the terms and conditions of this Agreement that are to be observed or performed by the Town shall inure to the benefit of such assignee. Further, upon any such assignment, all references herein to the Company shall be deemed to mean such assignee. 6. The Company shall make every effort to have the building construction completed on or before June 30, 2004. This date may be changed upon mutual agreement of the Company and the Town. 7. The Company agrees to use reasonable efforts to increase income generation for business in Freetown by making concerted efforts to purchase goods and services from such businesses directly. 8. The Company agrees to register in the Town and pay excise taxes on all existing and newly acquired fleet trucks and trailers garaged in Freetown. 9. The Company or an affiliate shall provide the Town with an annual report by July 31 of each year during the Exemption Period (hereinafter defined). In accordance with Massachusetts Law, the annual report shall include the following information: (1) The total number of employees at the Facility; (2) The number of Freetown residents employed at the Facility at the beginning and end of the year; (3) The specific number of residents of the Fall River Economic Target Area and the Greater New Bedford Economic Target Area (excluding Freetown) employed at the Facility at the beginning and end of the year; and (4) The Company's financial contribution to the Town (i.e., property taxes, motor vehicle excise and water/sewer fees). Said annual report shall be given to the Board of Selectmen, Town of Freetown, 3 North Main Street, Freetown, Massachusetts, 02702. B. The Town's Obligations 1. The Town shall grant the Company a tax increment financing exemption on the value of all improvements constructed on the site in accordance with the exemption schedule set forth below in accordance with Massachusetts General Laws, Chapter 23A, Section 3E, Chapter 40, Section 59, and Chapter 59, Section 5. Said exemption shall be valid for a period of twenty (20) years (the "Exemption Period") in accordance with the Exemption Schedule set forth below. The Exemption Period shall commence with the fiscal year that the Facility is assessed as completed ("Exemption Period Commencement Date"). Until the Exemption Period Commencement Date, the Town agrees that the building will not be assessed property tax and that the taxes assessed shall be based on an unimproved parcel at the commercial tax rate. Said exemption schedule is as follows: Exemption Period Term Fiscal Year Exemption Taxes Due Year 1 75% 25% Year 2 50% 50% Years 3-15 35% 65% Years 16-20 1% 99% 2. The Town also acknowledges that all personal property situated at the Facility shall receive a 100% exemption from all personal property taxes as long as this Agreement is in full force and effect. C. Other Provisions 1. The COMPANY agrees to pay all costs of the Town's Legal Counsel with respect to preparing, reviewing and executing the TIF documents up to and not exceeding, One Thousand Dollars ($1,000.00). This reimbursement will be accepted by the Board of Selectmen as a gift to the Town from the Company under MGL Chapter 44, Section 53A upon billing of the Town for these services. 2. If the Company or its affiliates fails to exercise reasonable efforts to meet or maintain employment goals, or comply with the other terms of Section A of this Agreement, and the Company or its affiliates does not commence to cure such failure within sixty (60) days after written notice thereof to the Company from the Town and thereafter diligently prosecute to cure such failure, the Town may request revocation of this Agreement and de-certification of the Facility by the Economic Assistance Coordinating Council, in accordance with the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Regulations 760 CMR, Section 22.08, as amended, and M.G.L. Chapter 23A, Section 3F. 3. Approval of this Agreement is contingent upon the Company or its affiliates, ability to meet the requirements documented within all local regulations and General By-laws pertaining to the Facility, as governed by the Town and the local boards and commissions empowered by the Town to oversee the implementation of said regulations and General By-laws. 4. This instrument contains the entire and only agreement between the parties with respect to the subject matter hereof and no oral statements or representations not contained in this instrument shall have any force or effect. This instrument shall not be modified in any way except by writing subscribed to by the Company and the Town. 5. This agreement shall be binding upon all parties to it, and be binding upon the Company and its affiliates and its successors and assigns and shall inure to the benefit of the corporate affiliates of the Company and the Company's successors, and assigns so long as the Facility has not been decertified by the EACC. 6. This agreement shall automatically terminate upon the expiration of the Exemption Period described in Section (B) (1) above. 7. It is agreed that if any provision of this Agreement or the application of any provision to any person or any circumstance shall be determined to be invalid or unenforceable, such determination shall not affect any other person or circumstance, all of which other provisions shall remain in full force and effect. It is the intention of the parties here that if any provision of this Agreement is capable of two constructions one of which would render the provision valid, the provision shall have the meaning which renders it valid. 8. Pursuant to 760 CMR 22.05(8), this Agreement shall be binding upon and inure to the benefit of subsequent owners of the Facility. Executed as a sealed instrument on the day and year first above written. Town of Freetown Board of Selectmen S&S Freetown LLC Return to report |