LISBON — All of Fresh Mark Inc. off of South Lincoln Avenue in Salem will be located in the city, including the land for a planned expansion this year, thanks to an annexation approved Wednesday.

Columbiana County commissioners granted the annexation of 19.51 acres of land owned by Fresh Mark from Perry Township into the city of Salem, increasing the large employer’s footprint in Salem.

“We’re glad to see this finally go through,” Salem Mayor Cyndi Baronzzi Dickey said.

Dickey attended the commissioners’ meeting to witness the approval, with Commissioner Mike Halleck acknowledging the annexation was for Fresh Mark.

“They’ll be very happy,” Dickey said.

After the meeting, she said the city and Perry Township were in agreement to split the property taxes 50-50 for 20 years in order to get this expedited for Fresh Mark to expand their facility and create at least 50 more jobs. Previously, part of the parking lot was located in the township, with the current plant in the city.

“Whenever there was a safety issue out there, there was confusion on which entity to contact,” Dickey said.

She said the city will need to pass an ordinance to accept the annexation, zone it and provide services to the property.

“We’re not foreseeing any issue on that,” she said, adding it’s a “no brainer on our part.”

The city was already receiving city income tax from Fresh Mark employees since the plant was inside the city limits and will be able to collect city income tax from employees in the expanded area.

Perry Township Trustee Jim Armeni said the trustees had no opposition to the annexation and were happy with the agreement.

“The trustees felt what annexation made sense and it made sense for the company,” Armeni said.

In December, Fresh Mark announced it was investing in the construction of a new 38,000 square foot operational expansion at the Salem facility at 1735 S. Lincoln Ave. Construction was expected to begin this year, with the expanded space to be operational this summer.

According to the press release issued by Fresh Mark, “The expansion provides space for upgraded packaging lines that support our workforce and the continued advancement of production technology. Fresh Mark has spent the last year working on site consolidation in preparation for the expansion, creating a new truck drive that routes traffic away from the employee entrance and adding infrastructure in key areas. The expansion will add 50 jobs to the Salem facility by year-end, bringing the total number of employees to nearly 800. Fresh Mark will utilize local contractors for all elements of the construction.”

“We are excited about the expansion of our Salem facility,” Fresh Mark Vice President of Corporate Responsibility Alicia Pucky said. “By continuing to grow and leverage production technology, we are ensuring that our location and our employees are set up for future success.”

A dedicated employee medical center opened on-site at the Salem facility in partnership with Marathon Health in May, providing access to acute and primary care for all Fresh Mark employees at little to no cost, the press release said.

The press release noted that new employee connection areas were also planned within 18 months, including new locker rooms and break/lunch areas that will include Fresh Mark’s newest Market C concept in partnership with AVI Food Systems.

In other business, commissioners accepted the subdivision performance bond for Prestige Properties of East Liverpool LLC development, located in St. Clair Township off of Trotter Drive. Commissioner Tim Weigle said the bond is for 12 months and if the road isn’t completed within that time frame the developer will have to request an additional 12 months through the county Planning Commission.

Commissioners also granted permission to hunt to Anthony Kinder on the county’s County Home Road property.

The next meeting of county commissioners will be 9 a.m. March 6.