The Huron City Commission on Nov. 24 approved Resolution No. 202507 to create Tax Increment Financing (TIF) District No. 8 to support infrastructure for a proposed Comfort Inn & Suites hotel in Southtown.

Ted Hader of the Greater Huron Development Corporation, who led a slide presentation to the commission, said the project is planned as a three‑story, 74‑room hotel on roughly 2.6 acres immediately east of Iverson Auto. “Tax increment financing is a financing tool that uses property tax dollars to pay for the investment in infrastructure related to a project,” Hader said, describing eligible uses such as dirt work, concrete, sewer, water and storm drainage.

Hader said the hotel is estimated to generate roughly $108,000 a year in property taxes and that the developer has identified $1,000,000 in TIF proceeds upon project completion to repay infrastructure investments. He also said the proposed TIF boundary includes the hotel parcel and an adjacent Walmart outlot (both owned by related parties) to allow contiguous district boundaries.

The presentation cited potential public benefits including increased lodging capacity to support events such as state high‑school athletic tournaments and other regional events the city seeks to attract. Hader told the commission the project would proceed to bidding and design in winter, with construction beginning in spring and about 12 months of construction; the timeline aims for the hotel to be open in time for the 2027 state fair.

Commissioners asked questions about including wider parcels in the district and noted the need for careful math and public scrutiny for TIFs. Hader said the city and TIF committee had recommended a targeted boundary because including undeveloped parcels without committed participants can complicate the financing math.

The planning commission and the city’s TIF committee had recommended approval. The commission approved the resolution by roll call; city staff said the adopted resolution will be forwarded to the Department of Revenue as part of the formal creation process.

What happens next: staff and the developer will proceed with design and bidding; TIF proceeds will be used to reimburse eligible infrastructure costs after project completion, subject to the terms approved. The school district is treated as held harmless under state statute, Hader said, and the city will track retirement timing for overlapping TIFs as the new district comes online.