$100K incentive for store goes to council

A request by a Bartlesville, Okla., businessman for a $100,000 incentive to build a new Ace Hardware store in town will be heard by the Bartlesville City Council Monday, according to a report in the Bartlesville Examiner-Enterprise. 

The hearing follows previous discussions by the local businessman, Jeff Potter, and the Bartlesville Development Corp. board of directors. 

According to the arguments for the incentive, a new hardware store would bring 12 to 14 full-time jobs to the area, plus about $20,000 in city revenue generated by sales tax. The proposal calls for a $10,000-per-year incentive for a 10 years.

The city council denied a similar request in 2010, when Tractor Supply sought an incentive. Other local businesses objected on the grounds that the store wouldn't bring new customers but would divert customers from existing stores, according to the newspaper.