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Norwich trustees back HB 69 and formally oppose two Hilliard tax abatements
Summary
Trustees voted to support House Bill 69, which would change TIF treatment for township levies, and adopted resolutions opposing Hilliard tax abatements for Sturbridge Green Apartments and Ten Pin Alley citing projected revenue losses and extra Fire/EMS demands.
The Norwich Township Board of Trustees voted to support House Bill 69 and adopted formal resolutions opposing two proposed City of Hilliard tax abatements.
Trustee Larry Earman summarized HB 69 before the board, saying the bill would let townships exclude Fire and EMS levies from new tax-increment financing arrangements and strengthen township negotiating power with cities. "The Township may negotiate with the city to accept lower taxes than 100% of the voted taxes on the TIF’s parcel, but it would be totally up to the township to do so," Earman said during the March 7 meeting. The trustees voted unanimously to support the bill and Earman said he planned to provide proponent testimony on behalf of Norwich.
Separately, on April 18 the trustees adopted two resolutions opposing Hilliard ordinances that would grant 15-year, 50% community reinvestment area (CRA) abatements for Sturbridge Green Apartments and for the Ten Pin Alley redevelopment. The Sturbridge resolution cites an estimated $40,101 annual revenue loss to Norwich Township and a projected total of $601,518 over 15 years; it also projects roughly 65 Fire/EMS calls per year from a 124-unit assisted living community. The Ten Pin Alley resolution cites a projected $20,780 annual loss to the township and other taxing entities.
Trustees said their opposition rests on the fiscal impact to township taxpayers and local taxing authorities. "This tax abatement is an unfunded mandate to the Fire Department of Norwich Township," the Sturbridge resolution states. During the April 4 discussion, trustees requested developers submit detailed comparisons of taxable assessments before and after the December 2016 legislative change that affects assessment of assisted-living operations, and tabled action until those numbers were available.
The board’s actions include formal transmittal of the resolutions to Hilliard City Council and public-recorded vote tallies. The trustees stressed they are not opposing development in principle but are asking that taxing impacts and public-service costs be considered in abatement decisions. The matter remains with Hilliard City Council for final action.
