By Debbie Carson, Online EditorSEBASTIAN – Sebastian voters have approved a ballot referendum that would allow the city government to offer tax incentives to new and expanding businesses hiring workers.
By a vote of 2,008 to 951, voters supported the tax abatement referendum. Supporters say that the tax abatement referendum could be used as an incentive to bring new jobs and businesses into the city. They have said that by offering such an incentive more businesses might be more likely to relocate to Sebastian or stay in town and expand.
With the voters’ approval, the Sebastian City Council will now decide how best to implement the measure. Candidates during their campaigns noted that the tax abatement could be set on a sliding scale that depends on how long the business would participate, the number of employees the business would hire and the wages those employees would earn.