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Residents, former mayors and businesses urge Chickasha council to back proposed TIF districts at public hearing
Summary
A packed public hearing drew broad public comment in favor of creating two tax-increment financing districts to fund infrastructure and spur downtown and east-side development; council opened and closed the hearing but did not commence the TIFs tonight.
A public hearing Tuesday evening in Chickasha drew more than a dozen residents, business owners and former mayors who urged the City Council to create two tax-increment financing (TIF) districts intended to pay for infrastructure projects in the downtown and Highway 62 corridors.
Speakers representing multiple generations of local business owners framed the TIF as a tool to attract private development by funding streets, water and sewer work and other infrastructure. Greg Elliott, a former mayor and CEO of Stanley Systems, told the council the original TIF produced visible results and asked the council to “support this initiative” so future generations have opportunity in Chickasha. Former Mayor Chris Mosley said the city must keep planning for growth, adding that residents and leaders should “think about the future” when deciding whether to use a TIF.
Supporters cited local examples they described as TIF success stories and presented council members with handouts tracking businesses that located in a prior TIF district. Jim Cowan said the first Chickasha TIF, begun in 2015, coincided with retailers arriving downtown and estimated that those businesses generated about $875,000 in Chickasha’s share of sales tax in a recent year. “You’ve heard from four mayors tonight,” Cowan said, arguing the past record shows growth can follow an investment in infrastructure.
City staff and the city attorney responded to detailed questions about how TIF financing would work. Legal counsel explained that an increment captures growth above an established baseline and that cities can structure revenue-sharing in many ways; staff said the ordinance before council would create the districts but that commencing a TIF (when baselines are fixed and revenue capture begins) is a separate later step. Counsel described common splits and said the advisory committee proposed a 50/50 split on captured increment as a compromise intended to allow taxing jurisdictions — including schools — to share in near-term revenue rather than cede all growth to the TIF for decades.
Several residents urged caution about boundaries and property-owner notice. George Thomas and others said some parcels in the proposed map are light-industrial or farm land that may not be appropriate for retail-style redevelopment, and they asked the city to reach out to affected owners. John Nelson, who said he had reviewed statutes and case law, pressed staff on the statutory definition of “blighted” and on how farmland and attorney offices (which generate little sales tax) are treated when calculating projected increment.
Supporters and opponents both framed the decision as long-term: several speakers, including Hank Ross, described TIF as an established tool across Oklahoma and urged the council to “respect the process” after the advisory committee and planning commission voted in favor. Staff reminded the council that the ordinance would set boundaries and a project plan but that the city has up to 10 years to commence each district; the baseline values used to calculate increment are fixed at commencement, not at ordinance adoption.
The council closed the hearing without commencing either TIF district during the meeting. Staff said the council can adopt the ordinance establishing district boundaries and a project plan at a future meeting and later choose a commencement date — a procedural separation that gives council time to weigh outreach, financing options and statutory constraints.
Next steps: the council must still decide whether to adopt the ordinance creating the districts and whether to commence either TIF; if adopted and commenced, the TIFs would capture future growth in property, sales and hotel/motel taxes within established boundaries and use those increments for specified infrastructure and development projects.
Provenance: Topic begins at the council’s public hearing opening (Item 6a) and includes public comments and staff Q&A recorded from SEG 168 through SEG 2343.
