The Delaware County Redevelopment Commission on June 12 approved moving forward with a plan to pave five miles of gravel county roads and directed staff to coordinate which tax increment financing (TIF) districts would fund projects.

Commissioners and staff said the proposed county roads are adjacent to several TIF districts; some TIFs have little or no balance, while restricted MBH funds exist but have commitments for other emergency repairs. The commission voted to authorize the effort and to meet later to determine the specific TIFs that would supply funds.

Why it matters: Converting gravel roads to paved surfaces can reduce annual maintenance costs and extend pavement life, but the work requires upfront capital that the commission must allocate from TIFs or restricted funds. Staff told the board paving could last eight to 11 years for low-traffic roads and that grading costs for gravel roads average about $20,000 per year for twice-yearly grading.

Key details: Staff identified the five candidate roads — County Road 500 North, McCrory Road, County Road 170 South, County Road 300 South, County Road 1150 North, and County Road 850 (the packet lists multiple segments) — and mapped them to nearby TIFs. The Gaston TIF (6928) was cited as having a $0 balance as of May 31; the Ag Park TIF near Eaton had about $18,983.29. MBH restricted funds were reported at roughly $4,000,000 with a recent June deposit of $220,000, but staff noted several emergency road repairs this spring have already drawn on that account.

Board action and next steps: Commissioners voted unanimously to proceed and asked staff to prioritize projects and return with a proposed plan showing which TIFs or restricted funds would be used. Staff recommended meeting with the Daleville Redevelopment Commission about two projects located near Daleville, since Daleville controls its own TIF funds.

Next meeting: Commissioners asked staff to return with cost breakdowns by road, current encumbrances against TIF balances, and recommendations for prioritization before selecting which TIFs to draw funds from.