Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Tax Abatement topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
City staff propose lower thresholds and broader public notice for tax abatements, including new GSI incentives
Summary
City economic development staff proposed amendments to the tax abatement ordinance that would lower eligibility thresholds for green stormwater infrastructure (GSI) abatements, expand public-notice outlets and maintain a public-hearing process; a public hearing is tentatively scheduled for August 14.
Andrew Busker of the Mayor's Office of Economic Development told the Economic Development Committee on July 17 that the administration plans to reintroduce amendments to the city's tax abatement ordinance aimed at increasing participation in green stormwater infrastructure (GSI) and other incentive programs.
Busker said the office is proposing to reduce the minimum total project-cost threshold for GSI abatements from $3,000,000 to $735,000 and to lower the minimum GSI investment required from $100,000 to $35,000 to make smaller projects eligible. "We are reducing our total project cost to a $735,000 minimum, and then a minimum GSI investment of 35,000," Busker said.
The proposed changes would also expand public-notice requirements. Busker said the office will use the city's public-notice portal and broaden the definition of "newspapers of general circulation" to allow outlets such as the Houston Business Journal in addition to the Houston Chronicle to publish notices. He said the office will continue to follow the established public-hearing process for abatement agreements.
Busker said a request to require multilingual public notices was discussed but that city legal advised the abatements are not the type of administrative action that mandates multi-language posting; the Office of People with Disabilities and the Office of Cultural Affairs remain available to assist with translation and outreach.
He said staff coordinated with several councilmembers during development of the changes and convened focus groups of developers (facilitated by the Urban Land Institute) to test adjustments intended to reduce barriers to GSI projects. The administration is tentatively scheduling a motion to set a public hearing in late August and an August 14 hearing date for the ordinance introduction, though he cautioned dates could shift.
Councilmembers asked for outreach materials and the passenger survey metrics referenced in the airport presentation; Busker said staff can provide meeting notes and supporting documentation and that more detailed draft term sheets for individual abatements would follow.
No formal council action was taken at the committee meeting; Busker asked the committee for questions and said the ordinance reintroduction is coming to council soon.
