Hazleton, Pa. — Japanese housewares molder Iris Ohyama Inc. may be considering adding a fourth plant in the United States.
The Hazleton Area School Board voted Aug. 31 on a tax deal that could allow housewares molder Iris USA Inc. to build a factory at Humboldt Industrial Park, according a published report.
The Standard-Speaker in Hazelton reported that the school board voted to allow iris to pay a flat school tax of $100,000 a year for 10 years, then after that, pay the full tax based on the assessed value of the facility.
An Iris USA spokeswoman said the company would have no immediate comment, and that nothing has been finalized.
Iris USA is part of Iris Ohyama and runs plants in Surprise, Ariz.; Pleasant Prairie, Wis., and Mesquite, Texas. Iris USA's headquarters is at the Arizona plant, which the company opened in 2016.
Officials of the Hazleton school board did not return telephone calls seeking comment.
Luzerne County Council is also discussing a proposed real estate tax incentive, the newspaper reported, adding that the plant would employ about 90.