Columbus City Council last night approved two tax breaks for a profitable private company to locate at Port Columbus. FlightSafety International is getting a 10 year, 75 percent property tax break and a 5 year, 25 percent break on employee income tax withholdings. Columbus development director Steve Schoeny says the subsidiary of Billionaire Warren Buffett's private air service NetJets promises to retain or create a total of 155 jobs.
Council also formally approved the creation of Mayor Michael Coleman's cabinet-level Education Department and set aside 5 million dollars for it to create a pre-school program. The legislation disbands Coleman's office of education and makes Columbus Teachers Union president Rhonda Johnson the city's new education director in June. Johnson's critics say she is one of the people responsible for the climate of mismanagement in the Columbus City Schools.
