Thu., July 16, 2009 3:57pm (EDT)

Biden: Nay to Stimulus Funds for Columbus Plant

By Melissa Stiers

Updated: 4 years ago

ATLANTA  —   Columbus may not get $5 million in federal dollars to open a manufacturing plant. Last month, NCR corporation announced it was going to start making ATM's in Columbus and create 872 jobs there.

The city agreed to buy and retrofit the building where the machines will be made, using $5.5 million from federal stimulus money.

But a letter from Vice President Joe Biden to two Ohio Congressmen, says Columbus won’t get the money if it facilitates the relocation of jobs from Ohio to Georgia.

NCR is relocating its headquarters from Dayton, Ohio to metro Atlanta.

Columbus Mayor Jim Wetherington says the Columbus jobs will be new ones, unlike Atlanta’s which will be relocations.

"What they’ve done is they've linked these projects together," says Wetherington. "We went on our own after the manufacturing plant and Atlanta was negotiating with them about bringing headquarters to Atlanta. This is separate."

Wetherington says if Columbus doesn’t get the federal money, the city will find other ways to finance the plant.