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Senate narrowly rejects bill to let small towns treat vacant land as 'blight' for redevelopment
Summary
Senate Bill 171, which would have allowed towns under a population threshold to deem vacant land ‘blight’ and use tax‑increment financing, failed on the floor after extended debate about unintended consequences for school districts and longtime local businesses.
The Utah Senate on Feb. 24, 1999 rejected Senate Bill 171, a sponsor‑backed change to redevelopment agency law that would have allowed certain small towns to treat vacant property as 'blight' for tax‑increment financing.
Sponsor Senator Pete Knudson said the measure was intended to give very small communities a tool for economic development, citing remote towns such as Grouse Creek that struggle to attract business. "Like all pendulums, sometimes they swing a little…
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