Township officials tell Buckeye Valley board EPA sewer maps and TIF deals could drive annexation, affect schools

Joe Garrett, president of the Delaware County Township Association, told the Buckeye Valley Board of Education at its July meeting that recent and proposed development, changes to Tax Increment Financing (TIF) deals and an Environmental Protection Agency mapping effort known as a "208 plan" could affect where sewer service — and therefore annexation and higher-density development — occurs in the Buckeye Valley area.

Garrett said, "We currently in Concord have 4 communities that have been approved. … If all of those were to be built, it's 400 homes." He warned that developers and cities use sewer access and TIFs to shape how development proceeds and said townships must scrutinize TIF allocation details.

The township leader explained why that matters to local schools: many TIF structures use long-term schedules (Garrett described a "30 year" residential TIF) that redirect tax-increment revenue. "When you do a 30 year … we can put that on there. And what that does is take 75% of any increased value of funds," he said. Garrett cautioned that TIF agreements often are written so the developer and city receive funds first and that the school district may not receive the full benefit promised until after those payments are made.

Why it matters: Garrett framed the EPA 208 mapping and…