Annexation vote today

The Hancock County commissioners are slated to vote today on whether to advance the proposed annexation of land for a $150 million preparation-distribution center for Sheetz convenience stores. The meeting will be at 9:30 a.m. in the 1st-floor conference room of the Hancock County Building, 514 S. Main St. Commissioner approval of annexation of the land just north of Findlay would send the matter to Findlay City Council for final approval. Annexation of the 77.8 acres at the northwest corner of County Road 212 and Township Road 230 would enable Sheetz to get a city tax exemption on a proposed $150 million facility. Sheetz will only buy the land if it is in the city, Dan Sheaffer, executive director of Findlay-Hancock County Economic Development, said. That would enable Sheetz to get a property tax exemption on its proposed $150 million preparation-distribution center. The company has said it will create 750 jobs — at an average pay of $58,000 per year, excluding benefits — over five years. Allen Township Trustee Milford Smith Jr. said the trustees oppose annexation of the site into Findlay. Sheetz can build its facility outside Findlay, he said. Annexation would simply enable the city to grow farther north at the expense of the township, he said. And that would enable Findlay to grab more land, like the nearby Lowe's Distribution Center site, further eroding the township's tax base, he said.