HOWLAND TOWNSHIP, Ohio – The Howland Township Board of Trustees approved a Joint Economic Development District with the city of Warren and Warren Township to assist Kimberly-Clark Corp. with development of its $800 million-plus plant.
Township trustees met in a special session Wednesday morning to approve the Warren-Howland-Warren Joint Economic District contract and a related development and compensation agreement, two days after Warren Township gave its approval.
The city of Warren approved the JEDD on June 11, the same day both townships held public hearings on the JEDD, which will encompass a nearly 644-acre site that includes the property purchased by Kimberly-Clark.
“The entities involved saw the strength of governmental and business cooperation in development and growth of our community,” Trustee James LaPolla Jr. said.
“It’s a major, major boost for Trumbull County, and we need this,” Warren Township Trustee Ed Anthony said. “Hopefully, we can piggyback off this and get some more development.”
Warren Mayor Doug Franklin reflected on one of his early days as mayor, when he learned of the bankruptcy and closing of WCI Steel, which had been on the property where Kimberly-Clark is building, and the despair, hopelessness and powerlessness felt by the community as a whole. Not long after that, members of his administration got together with Howland officials – “long before we knew about Kimberly-Clark and that potential” – to talk about how to move forward.
“This is a tremendous day for our region and our community,” he said following the votes. “This is a transformational project.”
Funds generated through the JEDD, which would assess a 2% income tax within the JEDD on wages paid to persons employed within the district and a 2% tax on net profits generated by businesses located within the district, would help fund needed infrastructure improvements within the district.
The 50-year JEDD contract, which terminates Dec. 31, 2075, provides a prohibition against annexation during its term, plus 30 years after its expiration, LaPolla said. Also, according to the agreement, the city of Warren will manage the income taxes collected in the district and provide water, sewer and waste services, while the townships will provide police, fire and emergency medical services.
For managing the income tax, the city of Warren will receive 4% of the gross revenue collected by the JEDD, while the JEDD district will receive 6% of the gross revenue for operations. The three communities also will divide a portion of the collected funds.
J. Branch Sinkule, senior director of government relations, state and local, for Kimberly-Clark, told township officials and guests at the meeting that steel structures should begin coming out of the ground in August, and that it already had posted “a handful of faculty management positions” for the site, with plans to begin additional hiring around March 2026.
“We look forward to this being just the beginning of our partnership,” he said after the votes.
Following the meeting, Kimberly-Clark issued a statement expressing its appreciation to the townships’ boards of trustees for agreeing to form the JEDD.
“The establishment of a dedicated revenue stream for future infrastructure improvements on and connected to the Kimberly-Clark site will help enable future growth and economic development in the Warren area,” the statement reads.
Trustee Matthew Vansuch expressed his appreciation to Kimberly-Clark for “buying into the cooperative nature of developing this site.”
“It’s a lesson to everybody – our neighbors and other businesses – that if we keep our focus on it and we put our egos aside, we can get very big things done,” he said.
Officials from the city and townships confirmed the project has already spurred interest in nearby property.
“We’ve had some interest in Pine Avenue,” said Mike Keys, Warren community development director. That includes the purchase of a building on pine just north of the Kimberly-Clark site.
Warren Township already has received calls about “anything from housing developments to possible businesses,” Anthony said.
Kim Mascarella, Howland township planning director, also confirmed her office is fielding calls about the need for new housing, and she anticipated the new western access road that will be developed will open additional land for development.
Pictured at top: J. Branch Sinkule, senior director of government relations, state and local, for Kimberly-Clark.