FOX CITIES, WI (MetroSource-WSAU) The Fox Cities Chamber of Commerce is asking Kimberly-Clark to delay its decision about closing plants in the Appleton area until the legislature can consider a multimillion-dollar incentive package. The company announced plans to close a facility in Neenah and a cold-storage site in Fox Crossing.
Officials with the Chamber say they’re requesting extra time so that elected officials can pass a bill that may save jobs that would be lost if the company left. Kimberly Clark has set a deadline for the end of September. The Chamber suggests a new deadline of November 30.
More recently the company has said the cold-storage jobs could be saved through a combination of labor concessions and state tax breaks. The company’s labor unions have agreed to some give-backs, but a package of financial incentives is stalled in the legislature.
The tax credits were approved in the assembly, but did not come up for a vote in the senate. Some republicans have objected, saying the package is too generous. Governor Scott Walker has urged a special session to vote on the measure, while trying to rally additional support.
