Firm pays $94,000 in taxes -- to the wrong county

If Mecklenburg County officials are correct, the Celgard battery-making firm paid more than $94,000 in 2011 property taxes to the wrong county. Mecklenburg property tax records show the firm paid $94,643.89 on property with a tax value of $75,354,489. However, records show an adjustment on June 26 in which the $75 million value was canceled and the $94,643 refunded. Asked why, Mecklenburg Assistant County Manager Dena Diorio said Celgard had paid taxes to Mecklenburg for property that was actually in Cabarrus County.

Celgard has a Charlotte plant located just off South Tryon Street in the southwestern part of Mecklenburg County. Celgard, a subsidiary of Charlotte-based high-tech manufacturer Polypore, also opened a150,000-square-foot plant in Concord in July 2011. Officials with Celgard didn't immediately respond to requests for clarification about the tax situation.

Celgard makes advanced membranes used in batteries, electric cars and laptops. The corporation has been highlighted by President Barack Obama as a successful clean-energy company; he visited Celgard's Charlotte plant in 2010. The company cut 40 positions last December after demand for electric vehicles lagged expectations.

UPDATE: Kasia Thompson, a spokeswoman for Cabarrus County, said Celgard is appealing its Cabarrus tax assessment. The company originally reported it had invested about $63 million in its Cabarrus property, but is now saying less than $30 million of the reported property is actually located in Cabarrus.