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Council declines $125,000 design appropriation for Lily Creek TIF project
Summary
A $125,000 request for design and bid documents for the Lily Creek project drawn from the County Road 6 & 17 improvement TIF failed on a 4-3 vote after debate about long-term maintenance and competing budget pressures.
Elkhart County Council rejected a $125,000 appropriation from the County Road 6 and County Road 17 improvement TIF intended to produce design and bid documents for the Lily Creek project.
May Craddser of Planning and Development described the request as funding "the design to bid documents for Lily Creek project," and said the TIF captures roughly $7.4 million a year. She said a Baker Tilly study showed only a small change in capture following recent state legislation (Senate Bill 1), and that the requested $125,000 represents the design-phase cost only; construction and maintenance would require subsequent steps and further funding.
Council members discussed how maintenance of any new park component would be handled. Craddser and others said the longstanding plan calls for a memorandum of understanding with the Osceola Township trustee to maintain the park if it is constructed, but several council members said township finances or future cuts could leave the county responsible. One council member said the expense was a difficult choice amid expected budget cuts and indicated he could not support the appropriation on that basis.
The council took a recorded roll call and the motion to appropriate the $125,000 failed 4 to 3. The clerk's roll call was recorded: Mister Bielski: Yes; Mister Clark: No; Mister Graham: No; Mister Hess: Yes; Mister Reitzacker: No; Mister Young: Yes; Mister Stone: No. The meeting record shows the motion failed (counts and names as recorded in the roll call).
