A company who only recently began operations has announced another expansion, both in the investment in the company and in the employees they plan to hire.

During Monday’s meeting of the Dallas County Commission, commissioners unanimously approved an abatement package that would assist ALGIX in a $2.46 million expansion of their algae-to-plastic operations.

“They really are doing something tremendously special out there,” Dallas County Probate Judge Kim Ballard said following Monday’s meeting. “These abatements are of taxes we are not receiving now, so we are not out any money, and it gives this company some assistance with their expansion.”

The company, located in Marion Junction, takes algae from the ponds of surrounding catfish farming operations and uses in the creation of a bio-degradeable plastic with “many applications.”

ALGIX’s John Dekker attended Monday’s, where he and Selma-Dallas County Economic Development Authority director Wayne Vardaman requested two particular tax abatements.

The abatements approved by the commission included a 10-year abatement on property taxes totaling $9,594 and a one-time abatement of sales and use tax totaling $51,275. The portions of the property taxes that would go to the Dallas County School System cannot — by law — be abated and will still be collected.

ALGIX announced the expansion would be over the next 10 to 11 months and over the coming years, the company would also expand their job force by more than 40 people.