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CATERPILLAR CONSIDERING $890M INVESTMENT IN LAFAYETTE FACILITY, CITY DOCUMENTS SHOW
Two years after Caterpillar began putting $725 million into an expansion and equipment upgrades at its Lafayette Large Engine Center, city documents show the company is looking to put another $890 million into a facility where nearly 2,000 people work.
Particulars are expected Thursday morning, when company officials are scheduled to bring a request for property tax abatements on the investments to the Lafayette Redevelopment Commission.
But in documents filed Aug. 19, the company indicated a plan that would put $350 million into renovations, upgrades or expansion of its plant at 3701 South St. Another $540 million is listed under manufacturing equipment.
Caterpillar officials did not immediately respond for comment Tuesday, after the Redevelopment Commission agenda was posted. Dennis Carson, the city economic development director, said more details would come Thursday.
But in a pair of requests for property tax abatements, the company described the project this way:
“The Caterpillar Lafayette facility is a component of the company’s Power & Energy manufacturing network and plays an important role in supporting high-value jobs and economic activity throughout the region. As Caterpillar evaluates future capital allocation opportunities among its domestic and international facilities, the company is proposing an approximately $890 million reinvestment in Lafayette to modernize operations, improve manufacturing efficiency, and enhance long-term production capabilities. This investment, combined with the retention of 1,995 employees, will help secure the facility’s long-term future, sustain a significant source of local payroll and tax revenue, and strengthen the community’s position as a premier manufacturing hub. Property tax abatement support would improve the project’s financial feasibility and help ensure Lafayette remains competitive for this substantial capital investment.”
According to the proposal, the project would include upgrades to the facility without adding to the number of employees who work there. According to the city documents, the 1,995 people who work at the Large Engine Facility average $42.81 an hour.
In 2024, Caterpillar brought a similar request ahead of work that included a $100 million, 325,000-square-foot expansion and another $625 million in machinery and equipment at a plant that started production in Lafayette in 1982.
The Lafayette plant produces diesel and natural gas engines used in oil and gas, mining, electric power, locomotive and marine industries, among others.
What’s next: The Lafayette Redevelopment Commission meets at 11 a.m. Thursday, Aug. 27, at city hall, 20 N. Sixth St.
THOMAS MOSS’ ATTORNEY FIGHTS COMBINING TRIAL WITH ALLEGED CO-CONSPIRATOR IN ATTEMPTED MURDER OF JUDGE MEYER
A few developments this week in the case of Thomas Moss, one of four people charged in connection with an alleged conspiracy that led to the Jan. 18 attempted murder of Tippecanoe County Superior Court 2 Judge Steve Meyer:
Appeal of ruling on need for a special prosecutor: The special judge in Moss’ case this week denied certifying an interlocutory appeal of a July decision, reaffirming her rejection of a request for a special prosecutor in the case. Cass County Superior Court 2 Judge Lisa Swaim – overseeing the cases of Moss and three others charged with attempted murder, among other felony charges – wrote in an order Monday that Moss’ attorneys hadn’t shown a conflict of interest between the Tippecanoe County prosecutor’s office and Meyer that warranted the need for prosecution led by a team from outside the county.
