Mayor Absher says TIFs aren't driving Marion's recent tax increases; council approves TIF grant list

Mayor Absher told the City Council that a close look at assessment math and taxing bodies shows TIF districts did not cause the recent “shock and awe” experienced by some taxpayers.

In a prepared presentation, Absher said the underlying numbers come from county data and walked the council through equalized assessed valuation, exemptions and how a taxing body’s budgeted bill divided by its taxable base determines the tax rate. He repeated the takeaway: “TIF does not drive your tax bill,” and urged constituents to review the spreadsheet the city used to produce the calculations.

Absher cited several figures during the presentation, noting countywide TIF totals and local changes: he cited $153,000,000 for countywide TIF this year, and said TIF 1—the city’s largest TIF—dropped from about $104,800,000 to zero on the rolls, producing a roughly 25–28% reduction in city TIF property year over year. He argued that a reduction on that scale cannot mathematically be the cause of a citywide tax increase, because many taxing bodies' tax rates are determined by changes in their own billed amounts relative to the growth in taxable property.

Absher also highlighted that township-to-township assessment adjustments have produced large, uneven bills for some residents; he recommended constituents bring their individual tax bills to the mayor’s office or to staff for a line-by-line review. After the presentation the council approved a list of fiscal-year-25 TIF grant applications received through Sept. 6, 2024, by roll call.

The council then received brief department reports and adjourned.