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Highland Redevelopment Commission files FY2025 annual report: $1.82M in TIF receipts, acquisitions and downtown investments outlined
Summary
The Highland Redevelopment Commission presented its FY2025 Annual Report to the Town Council, listing $1,824,827.05 in TIF distributions for 2025, vendor and professional spending of about $1.22M, ongoing property acquisitions on Kennedy Avenue and outstanding Cardinal Campus bonds pledged to TIF revenues.
The Highland Redevelopment Commission presented its FY2025 Annual Report to the Town Council on April 13, 2026, summarizing allocation-area activity, fund balances, project contracts and outstanding obligations.
Redevelopment consultant Dan Botich and Redevelopment Director Maria Becerra described the Commission’s fiscal actions and priorities for 2025, noting that Lake County Auditor TIF distributions to allocation areas totaled $1,824,827.05 for the year. The report lists professional and vendor expenditures of roughly $1.22 million in FY2025, including engineering, planning and construction vendors tied to downtown and corridor improvements.
Key projects and financial highlights in the report included: - TIF distributions: the report records distribution installments in 2025 totaling $1,824,827.05 across Highland Acres, Downtown, Commercial Corridors and the Cardinal Campus allocation areas. - Fund balances: year‑end balances include Redevelopment Capital ~$1.61M; Highland Commercial Corridors ~$8.07M; Highland Acres ~$1.19M; Cardinal Campus ~$170,560. - Property acquisitions and planning: the Commission continues acquisition work on multiple parcels along Kennedy Avenue (notably 8436 Kennedy Avenue, described as a former gas-station property), and reported appraisals, Phase I environmental reviews, and ongoing negotiations on other strategic parcels. - Downtown improvements: the Commission funded Main Square fence and decorative lighting projects, contracted landscaping and lighting vendors, and reported continued Main Street programming (retail and restaurant crawls) intended to boost downtown activity. - Bonds and debt: Appendix C lists debt service for the Cardinal Campus economic-development bonds; Series 2018 had an outstanding principal of $4,040,000 and Series 2024 showed $9,220,000 outstanding as of December 31, 2025, payable from Cardinal Campus tax increment revenues.
Director Becerra and the Commission flagged planning efforts underway: a updated comprehensive master plan, a new redevelopment plan, and a ‘Safe Streets for All’ safety action plan required for federally funded roadway safety implementation grants. The Commission also reported work on a First Responders and Municipal Employee Homeownership Program scheduled to launch in 2026.
Why it matters: The annual report is a statutory filing (IC 36-7-14-13) that provides the Town, overlapping taxing units and the Department of Local Government Finance with an account of redevelopment activities, TIF flows, and obligations. The details matter for transparency about how tax-increment financing supports acquisitions, downtown improvements, debt service and grant-funded projects.
What Council heard: Redevelopment consultant Dan Botich presented the report and Clerk‑Treasurer Mark Herak certified fund reconciliations. The report lists a number of commercial-improvement grants approved in 2025 and contract awards for downtown fence, lighting and landscape work.
Next steps: The Commission will continue planned acquisitions and execute implementation work as funding and grant approvals permit. The Council was provided the report for review and the file will be transmitted to the DLGF as required by statute.
