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The Kosciusko County Redevelopment Task Force held a meeting Tuesday to discuss tax increment financing (TIF) areas and economic development areas (EDA) in the county.
“I went to Wabash Valley, who held a site readiness seminar,” said Kosciusko Economic Development Corporation (KEDCO) Director of Projects and Operations Dawn Wilkinson, “and received a presentation given by Baker Tilly … (who) did a great job explaining what you can do and what you can’t do with these areas.”
The Task Force talked about two of the bigger TIF districts and EDAs for the county, South Shore and the 30 West TIF.
Wilkinson stated she and Commission President Doug Hanes, who was also at the seminar, spoke with the representative from Baker Tilly and “did confirm … a residential TIF will not capture commercial.” She made sure to state a regular TIF would capture the commercial use, and a residential TIF will only capture residential. Wilkinson said they will lose all of the capture if they do not fix the TIF.
Commission Vice President Jan Orban asked if they would be able to capture the existing commercial buildings that are around in the South Shore TIF. Wilkinson confirmed they would be able to.
Wilkinson said the Redevelopment Commission will need to straighten this out quickly as the developer of the South Shore TIF will want to break ground in November. County Auditor Alyssa Schmucker and Wilkinson will reach out to Baker Tilly in order to get clarification on what is needed to capture the correct areas for not only the developers, but also so the correct infrastructure is made in the area.
Commission member Dan Brown asked if it was okay to have both a taxing allocation and EDA in an EDA area, which Wilkinson noted that she and Hanes asked that at the seminar and learned it is possible.
Brown also made an example of what it would look like if they were to expand the EDA for the South Shore TIF, which Wilkinson said they would want to bring to the Redevelopment Commission for a recommendation.
The 30 West TIF is where Slate Auto is located, and the Task Force looked at how it is a potential growth area for the city of Warsaw outward but keeping it within the county. Wilkinson stated this TIF area has some “industrial possibilities.”
“Looking at that as a potential impact area is highly possible,” stated Wilkinson. “As Slate grows and becomes successful, we would anticipate other suppliers coming closer to the industrial park.”
Wilkinson said these two TIF areas, along with possible EDAs, should be brought before the Redevelopment Commission during their meeting on Tuesday, Aug. 11.
The Task Force also discussed:
• The Maple Leaf TIF will have to be a whole new TIF area if Maple Leaf would like it to be renewed. The Task Force noted that they should have Steve Moriarty, Kosciusko County Highway Department superintendent, look at this area for possible road development.
• Wilkinson said that “anyone in a TIF allocation area, that does not cause taxes to go up, but that money goes into other areas needed.” She also noted that EDAs also have no impact on taxes collected, but allow the Redevelopment Commission to use TIF funds for those areas.
• Wilkinson will meet with Moriarty to go over where certain areas would be good for development, and bring the recommendation that he and KEDCO has back to the commission.
• Brown asked for Wilkinson to find out if there was a limit on the size an EDA can be. She will be in a meeting with Barnes and Thornburg within the next week and ask them all the questions that were posed during Tuesday’s meeting.
