Leaders urge Kimberly-Clark to extend plant closing deadline

FOX CROSSING — Elected officials in the Fox Valley are urging Kimberly-Clark to delay its self-imposed deadline for deciding whether to close its Cold Spring manufacturing plant.

Kimberly-Clark has given a deadline of Sept. 30 for the Senate to vote on a tax incentive package that could cost up to $100 million. The bill has already cleared the Assembly. But there aren't enough Republican votes to pass the bill, meaning it would take an unknown number of Democratic votes to approve it.

Neenah Mayor Dean Kaufert says he hopes Kimberly-Clark will wait until after the Nov. 6 election because senators don't want to vote on the matter before then.

WLUK-TV says about 500 people work at the Cold Spring facility in the Fox Valley. There's no indication Kimberly-Clark plans to extend the deadline.