The Oneida County Board has asked for an extension until August to consider a complex proposal whether to accept an offer from Kwik-Trip of LaCrosse.
Kwik-Trip has offered to buy the county shops on Rhinelander's west side for a large facility and try to develop out lots. If that were approved, the county likely would build a new county shops about a mile away on county owned land off the Highway 8 bypass. Two other options are to reject the Kwik-Trip offer and fix up the current facility with two renovation options.
One key consideration is Rhinelander's decision whether to form a district where new development money is used for infrastructure needs called a TIF district.
Alex Young is on the city council and the Oneida County Board. His view is to go ahead with the Kwik Trip offer, putting the complex back on the tax rolls, and putting the county shops on land already off the tax rolls...
"...you're taking something that's off the tax rolls and putting it on the tax roll..."
Supervisor Scott Holowinski felt the short term cost because the county would have to borrow for the new highway facility would be more than the benefits raised by adding Kwik Trip at the current site.
Kwik Trip says they will add 35 employees and more than a million dollars in pay and benefits in a $9.1 total investment.
