HOBART | Representatives of a multimillion-dollar company approached the City Council on Wednesday night to ask for $4 million in personal property tax abatement that they failed to ask for during the appropriate time period.

Aristo Inc., located off 37th Avenue and Interstate 65, was required to ask for the abatement before its new equipment was delivered but failed to do so.

The company, which manufactures electrical equipment and parts for motor vehicles, also is asking for a $40,000 exaction fee on the equipment to be waived.

The council set an Oct. 17 public hearing on the issue.

Company representatives said they weren't clear on the deadline for applying for the abatement. The equipment, which is used to make car parts, brings the Aristo's personal property investment at the facility to more than $7 million and will allow the company to compete more effectively on a global scale, Aristo representatives said.

Ellen Parker, an attorney representing the company, said Aristo has paid more than $1.3 million in personal and real property taxes since 2000. Forty percent of its 150-person work force lives in the Hobart and Lake Station area, she said. The company plans to hire more than a half-dozen new employees and expand its payroll by more than $250,000 annually, she said.

The site, located at 4410 W. 37th Ave., has six buildings and incorporates two manufacturing companies.

Several members of the council voiced their support for the company, which started with one auto body shop several decades ago.

"We want this type of business in Hobart," said Coucilman Brian Rosenbaum, D-3. "They're clean and have competitive wages. That's what we're trying to encourage."

Councilman John Brezik, D-5, who represents the district in which the business is located, agreed.

"They're a tremendous asset to the community in an area that needs to be revitalized," he said.