California poultry plant owes $1 million to city of Sanger
The city of Sanger has allowed its largest private employer, Pitman Family Farms, a years-long delay in settling $1 million in payments after the city failed for years to collect money tied to the company’s increased water use. Pitman Family Farms poultry processor, known for its line of high-end chickens sold under the brand Mary’s Chicken, has steadily grown in recent years. The family-owned company established its plant in Sanger in 2002 and is today the second largest employer in the city behind the public school district. As the company has grown its business – including several plant expansions over the years from a one-story to a four-story processing plant – its use of city water has increased. This growth has had an impact on the city’s infrastructure, but the city wasn’t properly charging the company for its water use, city records show.