Committee receives TID close‑out briefings, confirms excess increment distribution

David Schrader of the Department of City Development briefed the Development Committee on the final steps to close four tax‑increment districts (including TID 39 — the Hilton Hotel TID) and to distribute excess incremental revenue to overlying taxing jurisdictions. Schrader said state statute requires TID closures to be completed by April 15 and that the 2026 budget already recognized $15 million in budget authority for excess increment, with the city’s portion about $5 million.

Schrader explained the distinction between increased tax base (assessed value) and immediate cash revenue: the cited $51 million is incremental assessable value generated over a TID’s life, not a cash sum. Committee members pressed how closure affects tax rates and individual tax bills; staff said assessed value can lower the tax rate but levy decisions remain a separate policy choice for the council and mayor.

Committee members noted the opportunity to tell a clearer public narrative about how closing TIDs returns benefits to the city and other taxing jurisdictions, and discussed how TIDs are a tool intended to shift tax burdens onto new development rather than long‑term increases for existing homeowners. The committee moved the recommended actions on the TID closings with no objections.