The ordinance called for rezoning of lots 4 and 6 from business park district to business park district with an amended preliminary development plan.

The plan calls for an additional 15 acres of land for the proposed project. It also adjust some preliminary building layouts, while reducing the length of Business Park Drive to the end of the west boundary of the two lots.

Council members authorized an initial contract agreement with Hill’s to build the wet food plant at the business park south of Tonganoxie. The agreement, approved at the June 21 regular meeting, includes a 10-year 100% tax abatement and an elevated water tower. The city of Tonganoxie will cover the $2 million price tag of the water tower under the agreement.

In return, Hill’s will purchase an average minimum of 3 million gallons of water monthly and its “best efforts to ensure that at least 20% of the workforce will be Tonganoxie residents.” Average salary for the anticipated 80 new jobs the company is expected to generate in the coming years is just more than $60,000. That minimum water requirement also is expected to cover any debt service incurred for the tower.

The Hill’s Pet Nutrition plant is a proposed site of at least 300,000 square feet for manufacturing of wet pet food products. The company’s global headquarters are in Topeka where it also has a dry food manufacturing plant.