Ashwaubenon Joint Review Board accepts TID No. 3 annual report; board discusses early closure, debt and phragmites remediation

The Joint Review Board for the Village of Ashwaubenon approved the 2024 annual report for Tax Incremental District No. 3 at a meeting called to order by Village Manager Joel Braczeski and accepted a staff presentation about the district's finances and remaining projects.

Greg, a village staff member, told the board that the district continued to collect increment in 2024 and that "the district is technically closed, so we cannot start a new project anymore," while existing projects and expenditures can continue. He said the largest single project last year was the Lombardi Avenue access road reconstruction and sidewalk connections toward the Titletown and Maple Field areas.

The nut graf: the board reviewed TID No. 3's financial position, ongoing capital work and an environmental remediation plan; members discussed whether to accelerate closing the district before its statutory end date in 2029 if increment receipts permit paying outstanding debt.

Board members heard that TID No. 3 pulled in about $7 million to $8 million in increment in 2024 and that $11.4 million of debt service remained to be paid. Greg said the village could pay down that remaining obligation over several years and might consider holding the TID open an extra year to accumulate increment for locally run affordable housing programs, as had been done previously with TID No. 4. He cautioned that paying off debt would be the first obligation and that earlier closure would not free large sums immediately beyond debt service.

Greg described limited ongoing capital activity in the district beyond the Lombardi Avenue work: finishing cleanup around a pedestrian bridge, trail extensions in Argonne Park and a multi‑year phragmites removal program managed by environmental engineers Stamtec. He said the phragmites effort is planned as a five‑year treatment that will include herbicide work in the first two to three years followed by native wetland plantings in later years. He also noted most of the property affected by phragmites lies in the state Department of Transportation right of way, and that the village had been unable to secure an easement with the Packers to access a wooded parcel south of the Cabela site for trail extension.

During follow-up discussion board members asked about a historical valuation correction reflected on the State Form P-300; Greg explained that a prior state revaluation after the 2008-09 downturn had reduced the base value and that the state later identified and corrected an initial valuation error. The correction appeared in section 6 of the P-300 form, he said.

The board voted to accept the TID No. 3 2024 annual report. The meeting then moved on to other items.

Ending: Board members indicated staff would continue analyses about possible early closure timing and the use of any accumulated increment for affordable‑housing programs or remaining capital work.