According to local media, government officials have confirmed Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co. is interested in investing an additional $184 million in its Topeka plant.
On Wednesday, a group of Topeka and Shawnee County governing body members were initially going to review a proposal from Goodyear for help finance improvements at the Topeka plant by providing incentives totaling $368,000 from revenue brought in by a countywide, half-cent sales tax. However, the proposal was removed at Goodyear’s request when the company felt it was too early to address the proposal.
“Goodyear is committed to making strategic investments in its tire plants to continuously improve operations and efficiency,” Goodyear told Tire Review. “We are discussing possibility of extending a 2009 agreement with GO Topeka, a local economic development organization, but nothing has been finalized. It was determined that it was premature to address this item at the Sept. 14 GO Topeka meeting.”
In 2009, the JEDO board approved a contract that provided Goodyear $500,000 in incentives for a $250 million renovation of its Topeka plant, local media said. Additionally, Goodyear received $14.2 million in state money.
“The initial incentive that Goodyear-Topeka received in 2009 helped support a modernization project in the plant’s off-the-road tire operations, including production of 63-inch tires,” Goodyear added.
JEDO is a body of Topeka and Shawnee County elected officials who oversee $14 million in annual revenue from a countywide, half-cent sales tax voters approved in 2004.
