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YOUNGSTOWN -- Tax-incentivized development projects across Mahoning County are operating as they should, county officials say.
At a recent meeting of the Board of Mahoning County Commissioners, the panel approved a resolution accepting the report of the county's Tax Incentive Review Council, completed in 2025 for tax year 2024.
The council meets annually to assess the effectiveness of economic development projects born out of tax incentives such as abatements or Tax Increment Financing districts. When a company is given a tax abatement to open in any part of the county, the entity usually makes some kind of agreement with the county, local government and/or school district to make certain investments to offset some of the cost of the tax break.
Likewise, with TIFs, while the company may absorb the full standard tax burden in that area, they commit to allocating a portion of the taxes generated to economic development or infrastructure improvement projects.
The report states that the Ohio Enterprise Zone Program provides local and state tax abatements of up to 75% for 10 years for businesses that expand or locate in designated areas of Ohio. Mahoning County has established OEZPs in the cities of Youngstown, Campbell, and Struthers; the villages of Lowellville and Sebring; and the townships of Austintown, Coitsville and Smith.
Eligible businesses must finalize an OEZP agreement before beginning the project, agree to retain or create employment and establish, expand, renovate, or occupy a facility in an enterprise zone. Mahoning County requires an investment of at least $500,000, and the state has additional eligibility requirements.
For the 2025 report, the council reviewed Xaloy LLC at 375 Victoria Road in Austintown, and Trumbull Manufacturing at 3850 Hendricks Road in Austintown.
Trumbull Manufacturing is a global manufacturer in the underground waterworks industry, specializing in treatment plants, the report states.
The project started in 2019 and was approved for a 60% tax abatement for 10 years. Any abatement of 60% or better must be approved by the local school district. The project's projected investment at the time was $533,000. In year seven, it has invested well over $3.5 million. Trumbull promised to create two jobs; so far it has created one. The company paid $37,657.16 in taxes in 2025, and the abatement saved it $6,047.99.
Xaloy started up in 2018, also with a 10-year 60% abatement. Its projected investment then was $40 million. Here in year eight of the project, the report shows the actual investment valued at more than $45.4 million. Xaloy promised to create 143 jobs. So far, it has created 96. Xaloy paid $177,408.86 in taxes in 2025 and, through the abatement, saved $18,985.81.
TIF DISTRICTS
The report explains TIF is an economic development mechanism available to local governments in Ohio to finance public infrastructure improvements and, in certain circumstances, residential rehabilitation.
Payments from the increased assessed value of any improvement to real property beyond a specified amount go toward a separate fund to finance the construction of public infrastructure defined within the TIF legislation.
Hollywood Gaming has been responsible for 14 completed projects and one underway, valued at $6,547,752 -- the entirety of the revenue the TIF has generated so far. The completed projects from Hollywood's TIF revenues are: Meridian Road, Phase I, $544,348; Victoria Road signalization, $23,552; Raccoon Road and New Road, $29,411; Raccoon Road, $242,150; Mahoning Avenue, $498,798; Meridian Road, Phase 2, $310,229; Lanterman Road, $680,915; Austintown sewers, $414,617; Victoria/Webb Road reclamation, $317,380; signals at Victoria and Webb, $59,056; Pine View sewer, $296,942; North Turner Road resurfacing, $314,201; Norquest Boulevard mill and fill, $315,831; Silica Road, $189,948; and still underway, the Meander Reservoir centrifuge project, $1,637,156.
The TIF dedicated to Truck World, PurFoods, FedEx and OUPS, begun in 2018, has completed three projects with one underway, again using the whole of its TIF revenue -- $1,017,038 for the projects: Blott Road, $39,855; Commerce Park resurfacing, $93,311; Leonard Parkway, $163,996; and the Mahoning Avenue corridor upgrade is underway at a cost of $1.1 million. For this TIF, there are various eligible public improvements. Those also include DeBartolo Drive, Commissioner Drive, Council Drive, along with other township-maintained infrastructure, utilities and stormwater management -- especially those impacted directly by activities occurring on the properties or as a result of commerce related to those activities.
Construction and reconstruction of roads include Rosemont Road, Mahoning Avenue, Bailey Road, and again those affected by the activity and commerce from those properties.
The TIF terms also call for school zone safety upgrades and improvements to the Mahoning Avenue and state Route 45 intersection.
There are no specific project costs for the work completed through revenues from the Inn at Poland Way, but the TIF has generated at total of $423,206 for seven completed projects: an access road, sanitary sewer lines, resurfacing Clingan Road, a sanitary sewer at Circle Drive, property acquisition, road improvements, and a resurfacing and bridge replacement along Dobbins Road. That TIF has generated a total of $621,308 in revenue.
Aqua Ohio has generated $93,789 in revenue, of which $44,717 has been spent on a local improvement project in Struthers -- the CASTLO rail bridge painting project, which has been completed. The report states that the review is marked for future projects, including: CASTLO Rail Bridge roadway resurfacing, building demolition, state Route 616 resurfacing, Main Street public parking, State Street public parking, Bridge Street and State Street signal upgrade, Bob Cene Way Resurfacing, and sanitary and waterline extensions around Astroshapes.