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Local clinic seeks TIF support to build 4,000‑square‑foot Peosta practice; council asks for numbers
Summary
Jenny Birds asked the Peosta City Council for a tiered, front‑loaded tax‑increment financing agreement to build a 4,000‑square‑foot Birds Family Practice clinic in Thunder Valley, promising 3–5 new jobs and local occupational‑health capacity; council asked staff to run valuations, a not‑to‑exceed number and architect estimates.
Jenny Birds, owner of Birds Family Practice, asked the Peosta City Council on April 14 for a tax‑increment financing (TIF) package to support construction of a roughly 4,000‑square‑foot clinic on Lot 2 of Thunder Valley.
Birds said her practice opened in June 2023, currently cares for about 2,200 patients, provides occupational health services for local manufacturers and expects to add three to five jobs after expansion. She told the council she has an offer on the lot and is pausing purchase pending council support for a TIF arrangement.
Council members framed the possible incentive as case‑by‑case rather than a one‑size‑fits‑all deal and favored front‑loaded assistance that tapers over time. One council member described a typical approach as a higher benefit in early years that declines later, and staff suggested options such as a 10‑year front‑loaded structure with tapering in later years.
Finance staff and council asked for specific numbers before they could commit. Council directed staff to: run county valuation and increment estimates, ask the city finance team to model tiered repayment (a front‑loaded schedule and a not‑to‑exceed cap), and obtain a contractor/architect cost estimate for building valuation. Council member Maggie said the finance office will calculate a proposed “not to exceed” number once square footage and construction type are supplied.
No formal TIF agreement or vote was taken at the meeting; council members said they were sympathetic and generally supportive but wanted concrete numbers and a draft agreement to review. The council also discussed ensuring existing TIF agreements (the transcript cited a previously structured developer agreement and how removing a lot affects another owner’s TIF eligibility) are adjusted if a parcel is released back to the applicant.
Next steps: Birds will provide square footage and construction details; staff will run valuation and model TIF scenarios and return with a proposed not‑to‑exceed offer and draft terms for council review.
