A body of Topeka and Shawnee County elected officials voted 7-0 Wednesday evening to offer $66,000 in cash incentives to a manufacturing company that is considering investing $30 million to expand its existing operations here.

The company's name wasn't revealed to the board of directors of the Joint Economic Development Organization, which agreed at a special meeting to finance those incentives using revenue from a countywide half-cent sales tax.

"Sixty-six thousand dollars for a $30 million investment is a pretty good deal," said Topeka Councilman Aaron Mays, a non-voting JEDO board member.

If the company accepts the incentives, JEDO board members learned, its name would be revealed publicly and the JEDO board would vote on whether to enter into a contract with the company to provide them.

The company's Topeka operation is competing with its operations in other cities to be awarded the expansion, said Barbara Stapleton, vice president of business retention and talent initiative for GO Topeka, which has been working with the company.

The proposed expansion, dubbed "Project Blueberry," would include "plant equipment additions and improvement expenditures," Stapleton said.

JEDO contracts with GO Topeka, a private organization, to promote economic development initiatives in Shawnee County and manage economic development revenue received through a countywide half-cent sales tax.

JEDO board members who voted in favor of the incentives Wednesday were Shawnee County Commissioners Bob Archer, Bill Riphahn and Kevin Cook; Topeka Mayor Michelle De La Isla; Topeka Councilwoman and Deputy Mayor Sandra Clear; and Topeka City Council members Mike Lesser and Karen Hiller.

Hiller voted by proxy on behalf of Councilman Tony Emerson, who was absent. Topeka Councilmen Mays and Jeff Coen, who are non-voting members of the JEDO board, were also present.

Wednesday's vote came after Clear expressed concern that the company's name hadn't been shared with JEDO board members.

"I have a really big problem with voting for these when I know nothing about who it is," Clear said. "You're saying, 'Trust me. I'm doing my job. Give me $66,000.' Yet you're not trusting us with more information."

De La Isla replied by stressing the importance of confidentiality for companies that are considering making capital investments.

She noted that JEDO board members could ask any questions they wanted at Wednesday's meeting about the company involved, so long as its name wasn't revealed.

Riphahn asked how many jobs the proposed expansion would create.

Stapleton indicated the expansion wasn't expected to create any jobs in the company involved, but some work would be created to construct the improvements.

The JEDO board oversees the use of revenue from the countywide half-cent sales tax approved by Shawnee County voters. The tax finances economic development efforts and specific infrastructure improvements, both inside and outside Topeka city limits. The current version went into effect Jan. 1, 2017, and expires on Dec. 31, 2031.

Of the tax's revenue, $5 million goes annually to finance economic development.