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Pittsfield council adopts TIF policy to guide incentives for development
Summary
The Pittsfield Town Council voted to adopt a tax-increment financing (TIF) policy intended to provide objective criteria for when the town will offer tax-increment incentives; councilors pressed for clarity on whether the policy could exclude certain business types and were told the policy is merit-based and will still require state approval and a public hearing for any district.
The Pittsfield Town Council on Nov. 18 adopted a tax-increment financing policy designed to guide whether and how the town establishes TIF districts and offers tax-increment incentives to projects.
Town Manager Jack told the council the proposed policy was modeled on Somerset County’s policy and is intended to give the council “the most flexibility to look at tiffs on a case by case basis and apply a criterion to it.” He said the policy sets out a series of questions to evaluate projects, including whether a proposal “create[s] or retain long-term permanent employment with wages equal to or higher than the local average wage,” whether it improves the general economy, and whether it minimizes traffic impacts.
Councilors and members of the public asked whether the policy could be used to steer incentives toward—or away from—specific business types. One attendee asked whether the town could explicitly exclude businesses such as retail marijuana operations. Jack responded that the policy is “more based on the merit and the impact that the business is going to have on the town, I think, more so than what it is actually for a business,” and that decisions would be made case by case under the policy’s criteria. He noted the state requires a public hearing when a TIF district application is submitted for approval.
Supporters said the policy gives the council a transparent framework for weighing projects that may bring larger economic impact, such as substantial building rehabs, while avoiding incentives for small, marginal ventures that would not materially benefit the community.
The council voted to adopt Resolution 25122. The motion passed by voice vote; no roll-call tallies were announced.
What happens next: adoption of the policy allows the town to move forward with TIF district applications under the established criteria. Any specific district application will still be subject to the state review process and the public hearing required by state law.
