By Howard Packowitz

NORMAL – One of the taxing bodies granting financial incentives to Canadian agricultural equipment manufacturer Brandt Industries is being asked to go ahead with the initial tax abatement.

Heartland Community College administrators are telling the Board of Trustees that Brandt is exceeding terms of the “performance-based” Project Development Agreement after the first year. In February, Brandt hired 77 full-time workers, exceeding the minimum performance threshold of 50 full-time employees at its plant off Interstate 39, just north of Normal.

Also, Heartland staffers and Brandt executives are discussing options for the company’s in kind contribution to the district. Brandt has also pledged an in kind contribution to Unit 5.

Heartland trustees at their meeting in Lincoln Tuesday night will consider adding four sports to the college’s athletics program. The addition of women’s volleyball, women’s and men’s cross country, and men’s golf would cost $98,000 a year, funded by student activity fees.

The new sports would start in the fall of 2020, 14 years after Heartland launched an athletics program with men’s and women’s soccer, baseball, and softball.

Howard Packowitz can be reached at [email protected]