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Committee advances bill letting Raleigh and Mason counties seek tax‑increment financing for development districts
Summary
Committee reported committee substitute for House Bill 2695 allowing Raleigh and Mason counties to levy special excise taxes for specified economic opportunity districts if statutory application and approval requirements are met; committee adopted an amendment defining minor boundary adjustments as 10% or less.
The Senate Economic Development Committee voted to report the engrossed committee substitute for House Bill 2695 with the recommendation that it do pass and be referred to the Committee on Finance.
The bill would authorize Raleigh County to levy a special excise tax for a 1,600‑acre Economic Opportunity Development District and Mason County to levy a special excise tax for a roughly 150‑acre district in the town of Henderson. Counsel explained the strike‑and‑insert amendment clarifies that the counties must hold the public hearing and submit the application to the Department of Economic Development and receive department approval under existing statutory requirements before levying the tax.
Delegate Jordan Maynor, who represents Raleigh County, told the committee Raleigh has “flat land” and a developer interested in a mix of retail, sports tourism and industrial development and called the financing tool “a critical piece” of the project’s next steps. Delegate Pinson described Mason County’s need to attract people to live in the county in light of nearby Ohio growth and said commercial development could increase property values and local tax receipts.
The committee adopted an amendment from the senator from the thirteenth that redefined a “minor boundary adjustment” in the TIF statute to be 10% or less of the TIF district; the amendment was agreed to after a colloquy and was adopted by voice vote. The committee then voted to report the bill as amended to the full Senate with the recommendation that it pass and to refer it first to Finance under the original double committee reference.
