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Hancock school board discussing tax agreement

TAX DISCUSSION — As part of Monday’s meeting, the Hancock County Board of Education received an update on discussions for a tax agreement with the county and Form Energy. -- Craig Howell

NEW CUMBERLAND – Discussions are ongoing for the creation of a tax agreement for a battery manufacturer coming to the area, according to officials with the Hancock County Board of Education.

During Monday’s school board meeting, Superintendent Dan Enich noted negotiations are ongoing for a Payment In Lieu of Taxes agreement involving Form Energy, which currently is building its first full-scale manufacturing facility in the north end of Weirton.

A draft agreement has been created, with Enich saying they are awaiting a final version.

“We are going to be a signatory to the agreement,” Enich said.

Details of the agreement were not discussed Monday, but Chief Financial Officer Joe Campinelli explained any funds paid by the company as part of the agreement will first go to the Hancock County Commission, with a pre-determined percentage then provided to the school district.

“The commission has to abide by that,” Campinelli said.

Form Energy, a Massachusetts-based company, announced in December 2022 its plans to construct its first manufacturing facility – known as Form Factory 1 – in Weirton, selecting the community from a field of 500 locations across 16 states.

The company plans to employ 750 individuals at the factory, which will manufacture Form Energy’s iron-air batteries.

Also Monday, the school board approved numerous personnel recommendations, declared a list of surplus items from Weir High School, mostly including old text books, VHS tapes and DVDs, broken filing cabinets, extra shelves, maps, a set of 20 plaster molds for ceramic art, and a box of rocks.

The board also approved two requests for overnight trips, granting permission for participating students from Oak Glen Middle School to attend the West Virginia All-State Middle School Band event and the West Virginia All-State Children’s Chorus event, both from Feb. 28 to March 1 in Charleston.

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