COLUMBIANA COUNTY Commission still reviews tax breaks

Commissioners will discuss the issue with legal counsel.
LISBON -- Columbiana County commissioners have yet to decide whether they will readopt legislation that provides tax abatements to a company proposing a $600 million power plant.
Commissioner said Wednesday they expect to meet soon with the county prosecutor's office to discuss a response to a lawsuit filed last week in county common pleas court.
One response may be simply to readopt the legislation being challenged in the lawsuit, commissioners said.
Questions validity: The suit seeks to have the tax abatement legislation declared invalid because, it alleges, commissioners were violating a provision of Ohio's Open Meetings Act when they adopted the measures in meetings held in late 2000 and early 2001.
The law requires that public bodies have in place a provision that gives advance notification of their meetings to anyone who requests it.
Commissioners did not have the notification in place when the tax abatement legislation was adopted, making it invalid, the lawsuit states.
Commissioners have since enacted the rule.
Legal action: The lawsuit was filed by Donald Cox of Lakeview Circle, East Liverpool. Cox's lawyer said that Cox is pursuing the legal action as a concerned resident.
Commissioners said they have no indication that the lawsuit is endangering the power plant proposal.
Cogentrix Energy Inc. of Charlotte, N.C., wants to build the $600 million natural gas-fired plant in the county. The company is awaiting permission to build from the Ohio Power Siting Board.
A Cogentrix spokeswoman would not discuss the possible impact the lawsuit might have on the project.