MERRILLVILLE | The town wants to change a policy that deals with procedures for approving yearly compliance forms for businesses' tax abatements.
The Town Council last week approved the first reading of an ordinance that would give the council president the authority to approve the forms each year.
The current procedure calls for the full Town Council to review the forms before they can be approved, Councilman Lance Huish said.
Allowing the council president to review and approve the forms alone would speed up the process, Town Administrator Howard Fink said.
If the council president doesn't think a business is in compliance, the form would be sent to the Town Council for further review. Huish said businesses that receive tax abatements typically are in compliance each year
The council will vote on the ordinance during its second reading at next week's council meeting.
