An update to Webster County’s Urban Renewal Area will enable payments to Cargill Inc. for a wastewater treatment project, as well as paving the way for a potential joint project between the county and Iowa Central Community College for its biofuels testing lab.

Webster County’s Tax Increment Financing plan also allows for possible land purchases for future development, and financing for a new warehouse facility southwest of Fort Dodge.

The plan approved Tuesday morning creates the potential for the county to build a new facility which it would lease to Iowa Central, for use as the college’s new biofuels testing lab, at a cost of up to $3.25 million. But this is only a possibility at this point; the plan doesn’t commit the county to spending anything yet. Talks are still going on between the college and the county, according to Webster County Supervisor Mark Campbell.

“We are having a conversation about putting their new biofuels lab at the ag park, at Iowa’s Crossroads of Global Innovation,” Campbell said. “It makes the ag park much more attractive to a company coming in if they don’t have to build their own.

“We don’t know what that partnership may be with the college yet, but we are eagerly in conversation with them.”

Voters in February 2018 approved a $25.5 million general obligation bond issue to pay for physical improvements at college facilities. About $2 million of that was for a new new biofuels testing lab that would replace the one in the Bioscience and Health Sciences Building.

Before the county can use TIF on a project, the project must be approved by a resolution, and must be included in the Urban Renewal Plan.

TIF will be used for Cargill’s water project as explained in earlier supervisors’ meetings.

Cargill incurred expenses in preparing for future growth at the park west of Fort Dodge, known as Iowa’s Crossroads of Global Innovation, supervisors have previously explained. Wastewater treatment equipment was oversized when it was put in, in order to be ready for more companies moving into the park, since this is cheaper than trying to increase capacity as the need arises.

Tax increment financing will be used to help offset Cargill’s expenses up to $1.36 million.

Land will be added to the urban renewal area as part of “Project Baby Blue,” a new warehouse facility to be built by Crimmins Investment LLC along County Road D20.

The county’s development agreement will not exceed $375,000 plus administration fees.

In addition, the plan also includes potential land aquisition in the ag park, which would be paid back with TIF. The cost for this would not be more than $955,000.