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Candidates spar over TIFs, vacant properties and parking in Neenah forum
Summary
At a League forum, candidates debated tax-increment financing, the city's approach to vacant properties and recent parking code changes that a challenger said were approved without public discussion.
Development tools and downtown vitality were a major focus as Carrie Lendram and Brian Deerting both offered competing views on how Neenah should support development and manage city-owned property.
Lendram defended the city's use of tax-increment financing (TIF/TID), saying it has funded projects that increased property values and delivered returned benefits; she noted the state allowed the city to retain one year of increment, providing $850,000 for a 'houses to homes' repair program. "TIFF is not a controversial subject at all," she said, adding that some TIDs have already been retired and now provide revenue for other needs.
Deerting criticized TIFs as giving preferential treatment to larger developers and said they contributed to recent property tax pressure. He cited a developer who faced setbacks on Dodie Island and complained that bike-lane changes and a seven-page set of parking changes approved in October 2024 removed parking without public discussion, harming small-business revenue. "If you take away three spaces, that's every half hour you get a new customer," he said.
On vacant properties, Lendram said a large white warehouse near Arrowhead Park remains in negotiation for removal to improve the downtown gateway; she reiterated that deed conditions for the park include mandated grading and environmental monitoring. Deerting proposed issuing requests for proposals and selling underused city-owned properties to adjacent owners or interested buyers as a way to revitalize downtown inventory.
Both candidates suggested partnering with regional resources to support development and events: Deerting proposed inviting Celebrate Diversity Fox Cities and conservation groups to host programs in city spaces; Lendram highlighted ongoing planning commission review processes and parking ordinances that require developers to provide required parking.
The forum recorded claims about developer experience and municipal processes that warrant follow-up reporting with city staff and planning documents for verification.
