Council accepts tax-incentive review recommendations and moves several CRA/incentive items to council agenda

The finance committee presented the annual Tax Incentive Review Council (TIRC) report and council accepted recommendations to continue 13 active Community Reinvestment Area (CRA) agreements. Staff reported that in 2024 the active CRA agreements produced approximately $256,000 in property‑tax abatement while generating roughly $877,000 in payroll taxes; over the life of the agreements staff said they represent approximately $91.6 million in real‑property investment and about 700 jobs.

Council moved several related items to the full council agenda: a new CRA agreement and income‑tax grant for Suncrest Gardens (a proposed 18,000‑square‑foot facility at 4811 Scarlet Lane with a 15‑year, 100% property-tax exemption request and a commitment to create 100 jobs and $3.1 million in payroll), an eight‑year income‑tax withholding grant connected to Suncrest’s commitments, and an income‑tax sharing grant (Ordinance 2025‑181) for HRE Enterprise 2 LLC tied to relocation to 4811 Scarlet Lane. Council members asked about school‑district shares and how the formulas affect the local share of tax receipts; staff explained county and school distribution mechanics and that the school district would continue to receive a portion (for example, the staff explanation noted the school district would receive 50% of the payment it would otherwise get under one proposal’s formula).

Council adopted resolutions accepting TIRC recommendations and moved the specific incentive agreements to the council agenda for final action.