Redevelopment commission adopts 2026 TIF spending plan, moves River District MOU and PFAS testing forward
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Summary
The commission approved the 2026 spending plans across five TIF districts—covering airport work, forgivable loans for garage projects, demolition and remediation—and authorized a River District memorandum of understanding and $18,196 in PFAS testing tied to prior G & W agreements.
The Elkhart Redevelopment Commission approved the city’s 2026 tax-increment financing spending plans and authorized related steps for River District redevelopment and environmental testing.
Staff presented five primary TIF budgets. Highlights included roughly $900,000 anticipated at Aeroplex for runway work, terminal repairs and hangar construction; about $5.6 million in the Casopolis TIF, including a $4 million allocation toward an $8 million forgivable loan for the River District garage project; and $6.7 million in downtown TIF spending, covering annual bond/loan payments, demolition of the courthouse (roughly $2 million) and $2 million in forgivable loan disbursements for several redevelopment projects. Staff also described planned remediation and Brownfield services tied to TechPark and Walter Piana projects and noted state loan-payment projections prepared by Baker Tilly.
Commissioners voted to adopt the 2026 spending plan and staff said the controller’s office will upload required materials to the gateway for the Department of Local Government Finance ahead of the Dec. 1 filing deadline.
Separately, staff presented a memorandum of understanding related to redevelopment of River District Zones 2 and 3 designed to formalize coordination on matching commitments for an IEDC Ready 2-funded component of the parking garage project. Staff stressed the MOU ‘‘does not commit us to anything more than matching their required ready matching’’ and said final development agreements would follow any acceptable pro forma. One commissioner recused due to adjacent property ownership; the commission approved the MOU and authorized execution.
On environmental matters tied to previous litigation and agreements, staff said counsel recommended additional PFAS testing to verify whether PFAS compounds are present and to remove uncertainty in potential defendant responsibilities. The commission approved hiring Enviroforensics for PFAS testing at $18,196, to be appropriated from the consolidated South Elkhart TIF.
The spending-plan vote and the authorizations for the River District MOU and PFAS testing all passed by voice vote. Staff will proceed with gateway filing for the spending plan and with contracted work pending execution of agreements.