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Commission debates declaring unincorporated industrial areas TIF‑ready; staff to deliver mapped parcels and pursue GIS grant
Summary
Members discussed creating economic development areas in unincorporated Grant County to make sites ready for tax‑increment financing (TIF), recommended consultants, a $30,000 state grant to update municipal boundaries in county GIS and a pending BCS study at State Road 26/I‑69; commissioners asked staff to return with mapped parcels.
Grant County Redevelopment Commission members discussed a proposal to identify and declare unincorporated industrial and commercial parcels as economic development areas ready for potential tax‑increment financing (TIF) during the Aug. 4 meeting.
Why it matters: declaring parcels as economic development areas is a step toward enabling TIF financing and faster site readiness for development; commissioners said speed and accurate parcel data are critical to compete for projects.
Commission members and staff emphasized that municipal boundaries and zoning must be accurate before any designation. Staff told commissioners that county municipal boundary data on Elevate Beacon and the county GIS contain inaccuracies for Marion and possibly other towns. Staff said they had identified a $30,000 state grant to update GIS boundaries and zoning data and would pursue that funding with Area Plan staff.
Members discussed firms that could assist on economic‑development planning and financing. A commissioner recommended soliciting engagement terms from two consultants (Baker Tilly and a firm identified in the meeting as Auburn Stormberg, with a contact named Chris Bridal) to advise on TIF formation and financial strategy; staff said county commissioners would engage consultants on behalf of the redevelopment commission if funding and scope are appropriate.
The commission debated whether to make a blanket declaration covering all unincorporated industrial parcels or to first circulate maps. Several members asked to see specific property maps and confirmed they wanted only parcels already zoned industrial/commercial included, not residential or unzoned farmland. Staff committed to working with Area Plan staff (Todd Glancy) to identify candidate parcels, clean up boundary and zoning data, and circulate maps before the next meeting.
Staff also briefed members on a BCS‑conducted study of the State Road 26 and I‑69 interchange; the study (not yet final) examines utilities, landowner willingness and development readiness at that interchange and could identify another target area for coordinated planning. Staff said the final BCS report will be shared when complete.
Ending: Commissioners requested maps of candidate parcels and supporting GIS data before acting on any blanket declaration; staff will pursue the $30,000 GIS grant, solicit consultant terms if requested by commissioners and return with materials at the next meeting.
