WINDSOR – The town of Windsor will be offering the same incentives to all businesses who locate in the municipality.

At their last meeting, the Windsor Board of Commissioners unanimously agreed to provide the same incentives to retail businesses that had been provided to manufacturing organizations.

“I have been taking a look at our policies and it seems to me we would want to give the incentives to anyone bringing new business to town and providing employment,” Windsor Mayor Jim Hoggard said. “The current policy was written at a time when manufacturing and farming were our main industries.”

According to the mayor, the policy allows the town to sell electricity for the actual cost to the town for periods of time beginning at one year depending on the number of employees the business has.

Commissioner Bob Brown asked if the town was actually selling at cost and if Town Administrator Allen Castelloe made sure that the town didn’t lose money. Commissioner David Overton asked if the cost of fossil fuels were included.

Castelloe said he did an update on the cost each month to make sure the town was billing those businesses that qualified for the incentive at the actual cost of the town.

“There are many municipalities out there offering the same type of incentives,” said then-Commissioner Hoyt Cooper, who has since left the board upon his relocation to Winston-Salem. “I think it is a good idea to make sure we are business friendly.”

Hoggard said he thought it was important to offer any incentive the town could to lure businesses.

“As long as they don’t leave without paying their bill, we’re not losing anything,” Brown said.

Overton asked if water and sewer should be considered as well, but Castelloe said the rates were so low that it was already being sold at near cost.

Brown said the policy should be open to any private business that creates a new job in the town.

Hoggard added, “We have the lowest rates of most anyone around anyway, but this will add extra incentive.”

Brown made a motion to approve the incentives be offered to retail businesses as well as manufacturing and Overton added a second. The motion passed without objection.

In other business, the board:

• received an update on Operation Clean Stream/Sweep with Perdue;
• agreed to a street sweeping agreement with the North Carolina Department of Transportation;
• received an update on the CAMA Access grant and plans; and
• approved two uses of the Windsor Community Building.