Two area Tax Increment Finance districts were discussed as the Kosciusko County Redevelopment Commission reviewed the two TIFs Thursday.
The first one was the Leesburg TIF. According to a provided map, the TIF district includes CR 150W from CR 400N to CR 600N and Old Ind. 15 from Levi Lee Road to School Street and the area between that.
County Auditor Michelle Puckett said the TIF district still has a debt of $101.67 and it will start capturing about $30,000 in the fall.
Long-term plans of what to do with the funds was discussed.
A previous project dealing with the TIF district was discussed when Commission member Adam Turner asked about what that project was. Puckett said $350,000 was borrowed for a project to extend a sewer line from Warsaw to Leesburg.
For future projects, Commission President Jan Orban said, there has been discussion of housing and infrastructure right along Levi Lee Road. Earlier in the meeting, she said Leesburg appeared to be a popular area because of the lakes there.
Orban asked if the county had a crystal ball, would it be able to do anything about the rate of annexations done by corporated areas? Corporated areas are going after places for housing since there was a housing study done, which Orban said she spent two years helping work on. She said maybe the county should look that way.
Commission member Doug Hanes said the county is always going to have developments like Barrington Hills that are kind of out in the country that have bigger yards. As Warsaw grows out, the county should look at how to take advantage of that.
The next TIF district talked about was the Co-op TIF district. According to a provided map, it encompasses Ind. 25 and CR 600S from CR 1000W to CR 700W and most of the area in between that.
The Co-op TIF district captures about $140,000, Puckett said. The district was started in 2016 and paid off its debt in 2019.
Housing options were brought up in that area.
Commission member and County Councilwoman Joni Truex said it may possibly be a slow project if they looked at housing in that area because she thought people were more hesitant to move that far west.
Orban said a tour of the area was done and representatives of that area were open to housing in that area.
Puckett said housing is a hot topic and there’s a lot of things that could be looked at.
Puckett asked if the Commission would want someone from Baker Tilly to come to their next meeting to discuss things, including questions members had on TIF districts that included questions on residential TIF districts versus regular TIF?districts.
After a discussion on when they wanted to meet next, the Commission decided to meet every month until the end of the year instead of waiting until Oct. 14 to talk with Baker Tilly and other issues.
Puckett said she would reach out to Baker Tilly and would see if they could make their meeting in August.
