Council approved agreements providing 100% exemptions on qualifying property improvements for up to 15 years.

The five resolutions, which took effect immediately, cover CRA deals with some of the city's largest employers. Google, Meta, Amazon, Discover Financial Services, TJX and Amgen are among the companies whose existing tax breaks will continue under the annual review required by Ohio law.

Resolution R-38-2026 affirmed the New Albany–Franklin County Tax Incentive Review Council's recommendation to continue 15 CRA agreements. A 16th, held by Encova Insurance, required no action because its abatement ended in 2025. Resolution R-39-2026 affirmed the New Albany–Licking County TIRC's recommendation to continue 26 agreements. One additional agreement, held by Herm Wango Investments for Anomatic Corporation, also expired in 2025.

The council also approved two brand-new CRA agreements in the Oak Grove II district. VTRE Development LLC and NA Innovation 100 LLC each received a 100% real-property-tax exemption for up to 15 years. Both were introduced and adopted the same night.

For the NA Innovation 100 deal, the Johnstown-Monroe Local School District and the Licking County Joint Vocational School District, known as C-TEC, each waived their right to receive notice under state law, consistent with existing compensation agreements with the city.

The two TIRC continuation resolutions were originally introduced on Sept. 1 but postponed 5-0. Management Analyst Ethan Barnhardt told council at that meeting that "recent legal changes at the state level" had restricted how economic development matters could be discussed, and staff recommended waiting until the law changed.

At the Sept. 1 meeting, Mayor Sloan Spalding moved the postponement. He thanked Barnhardt by name and praised staff for running the technically demanding TIRC process smoothly.

A fifth resolution, R-42-2026, authorized City Manager Joseph Stefanov to enter into an annexation agreement with Jersey Township. The deal covers roughly one acre of city-owned land along Worthington Road and Lucille Lynd Road in Licking County. New Albany already owns a 21.6-acre tract there, but the one-acre sliver sits in unincorporated Jersey Township.

Ohio law generally permits CRA exemptions for up to 15 years, with up to 30 years available for qualifying megaproject operators and certain suppliers. The increase in assessed land value is not abated. According to the city's data center finance page, data center projects generated about $10 million in community development charge revenue in tax year 2024. A single hyperscaler investment produced revenue equivalent to $178 million in payroll at the city's 2% income tax rate that same year.

New Albany holds AAA bond ratings from both Moody's and S&P. The city attributes those ratings partly to guaranteed minimum payments built into its CRA agreements.