University Park trustees table TIF 7 ordinance after trustees demand eligibility study and public notices
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Summary
Trustees voted to table an ordinance that would trigger the expansion process for TIF 7 after questions about missing exhibits and whether an eligibility study and statutory notices had been provided; a Ryan LLC consultant said the area qualifies but agreed the process should be reset so materials can be posted and distributed.
Trustees in University Park voted on March 24 to table an ordinance intended to start the process for expanding Tax Increment Financing (TIF) district 7, after several trustees said the packet lacked required exhibits, public notices and an eligibility study.
The final motion to table followed an initial failed attempt and a successful motion to reconsider. The clerk’s roll call after reconsideration recorded trustees voting to table the ordinance; the vote record in the meeting transcript shows trustees who voted aye included Trustee Lewis, Trustee Williams, Trustee Jenkins Bell, Trustee Folger, Trustee Thompson and Trustee Brooks, and the mayor voted aye on the motion that carried.
Charles Durham of Ryan LLC, the consultant who attended the meeting, told the board the ordinance in front of them was intended to "trigger the process," not to approve project improvements tonight. "There is a eligibility report. The area does qualify," Durham said, and he recommended pausing to "back up, reset those dates so we make sure we meet all of the statutory requirements" and so the board receives the eligibility report and related exhibits before the joint review board (JRB) meeting and public hearing.
Durham outlined the typical sequence under the TIF act: after an ordinance starts the process, the taxing districts and public receive the eligibility report and statutory notices, the JRB meets to review and advise, and only then does the public hearing occur — with a minimum waiting period before the governing body may act. He said the firm had proposed an April 14 JRB meeting and a May 26 public hearing but supported delaying those dates to ensure full compliance with notice requirements.
Several trustees said they had not received exhibits or the eligibility study in advance and asked that those materials be posted publicly. One trustee said the draft packet included old or blank template fields (names and ordinance placeholders) and urged staff to follow the established procedure so the clerk has the complete, correct paperwork before any ordinance is acted on.
By tabling the item, trustees left open the possibility of restarting the process once the eligibility study and required notices are posted and the taxing bodies receive their statutory review period. Durham said he and Ryan LLC would work with staff to make the documents public and to reset dates so the statutory notice periods can be honored before any final action by the board.
Next steps: the board will ask staff to post the eligibility study and exhibits, schedule required JRB and public-hearing dates that meet statutory notice windows, and bring the ordinance back after the taxing districts and public have had opportunity to review and comment.
