Joe Motil, former Columbus City Council candidate and longtime outspoken critic of Mayor Ginther and City Council’s blanket tax abatement policies, once again blasted them at last night’s City Council meeting for approving of a $1.1 million 10-year 75% tax abatement to the T. Marzetti Company.

T. Marzetti’s has been in business for 125 years and Lancaster Colony has owned Marzetti’s for 52 years now. Marzetti’s is headquartered here in Columbus along with five of its company’s operations and two additional ones are located elsewhere in Ohio.  

Motil states that, “Columbus Partnership member Lancaster Colony which owns Marzetti’s, recently built a brand new multi-million-dollar 45,000 square foot research and development center in nearby Lewis Center, Ohio without any local tax abatements or tax incentives. In 2020, Lancaster Colony reported annual revenues of $1.33 billion and a gross profit of $358 million. Lancaster Colony fits into the same category as corporations that City Council has handed out tax abatements and income tax incentives to such as UPS, Big Lots, Alliance Data Systems, Huntington Bank, Ball Corporation, Root Insurance, AEP, Nationwide Insurance, Abbot Labs, Worthington Industries, and CoverMyMeds. All that are sitting on a mountain of cash and continue to loot the public of the means to obtain social and economic stability.”

Motil says, “A resolution titled, ‘Recognizing Public Schools Week in Columbus’ was introduced earlier in the meeting by Councilwoman Liz Brown. Ms. Brown stated that, “Universal access to a high-quality public education is one of the most effective ways we can assure equitable access to opportunity for every citizen in Columbus and the U.S. To helping prepare students for successful careers and creating a workforce that is prepared for the future. Public education is a foundational building block of our society.”     

Motil states, "This resolution reeks of hypocrisy. Ms. Brown and City Council members praised the importance of our Columbus Public Schools and public education and 90 minutes later reduced property tax revenues of $1.1 million that helps provide for the needs of our children who rely on public education. In just over the last five years, Columbus City Council has awarded no less than $377 million in property tax abatements.”  

Motil concluded that, “Myself and thousands of others in Columbus are sick and tired of hearing how corporate leaders, Mayor Ginther and City Council talks about the need to address poverty, affordable housing, evictions, ending racism, creating equitable opportunities through public education, foreclosures, the homeless, health care and other social and economic disparities, yet they continue to ignore the one obvious and one of the most detrimental contributing factors. That being the continuation of years and years of their blanket tax abatement policies to filthy rich favored corporations and luxury real estate developers. It’s time they stop listening to the bad advice of the mayor, his administration, greedy capitalists, and developers, and put an end to granting these unnecessary crippling tax abatements."