County approves tax break for Total Label USA

For the third time, Total Label USA has won county approval for a 10-year phased tax incentive at its production plant northwest of Whitefish.

Flathead County commissioners on Tuesday approved the company’s application for tax benefits on $129,000 worth of new equipment and improvements to the 60,000-square-foot plant.

The incentive, aimed at encouraging business investment, taxes the added value at 50 percent for the first five years. In the sixth year, Total Label will pay 60 percent of its tax liability, then continue the phased plan until it pays 100 percent in the 10th year.

Total Label underwent a major expansion in early 2008 when the company invested $10 million in a new, more spacious facility that was quadruple the size of the original plant. The company, which makes high-quality labels for a variety of products, opened its Whitefish plant in 2004.

Commissioner Dale Lauman praised Total Label for the jobs it provides to county residents and said the tax incentive is warranted.

“Anytime we can encourage more business and employment in Flathead County, I’m all for it,” Lauman said.

Terry Hensley, a Total Label employee, pointed to the job growth the company has experienced in the past five years.

“More and more, just having a job is a real blessing in Flathead County,” Hensley said during a public hearing.

Total Label currently employs 50 people.

Todd Kotila, headmaster at Whitefish Christian Academy, also testified, saying the label company provides “a tremendous service to that area of the county.”