The Moody City Council laid the groundwork Monday to welcome a sweet new neighbor to the community.

Mountain Brook-based Indie Candy was afforded a property tax abatement to build a manufacturing facility in the Moody Commerce Park into the Moody Commerce Park, south of I-20 near the Brompton exit.

Indie Candy specializes in all-natural, allergy-friendly confections. Candies are made with fruit, vegetable and spice extracts instead of artificial food dyes, and their facilities are free of the “Big Eight” allergens: eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, wheat, soy, dairy, fish and shellfish. They carry vegan candies, work with all Kosher certified ingredients, and mainly work with organic ingredients, as well.

The business currently employs 11 people at their Mountain Brook facility, and they anticipate adding an additional 23 jobs when their new facility opens, according to Don Smith, director of the St. Clair County Economic Development Council, who was present at the meeting.

The tax abatement will abate the local, county and state portions of the facility’s property tax — excluding the educational tax — for 10 years.

The city also agreed to apply for grant money to cover site preparation costs for the facility, which are expected to cost about $20,000. Because Indie Candy remains a small business, the tax incentives and grants are expected to help their expansion greatly.

The city also officially passed a resolution agreeing to sell the three-acre plot of land to Indie Candy for $88,000.

“They have hired a contractor, and they’re excited to get started, and of course, this is going to be the catalyst for that to take place,” Smith said.

In other actions:

— A paving contract for Springview Subdivision was awarded to Good Hope Contracting, Inc. for $64,435 plus engineer fees. The approval is contingent upon the city’s attorney recovering bonds to cover the cost.

— An expenditure of $400 was approved to send the four chaplains to Police Chaplain Academy later this month. Organizes by the Shelby County Sheriff’s Department, all four chaplains will be certified by the International Conference on Police Chaplains upon completion of the three-day course.

— $481 in air conditioner repairs to a police car was approved.

— Hiring of Larry Armstrong, CPA, was approved at a fee between $1,035 and $1,300 per month, to handle the city’s monthly financial reports.