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Central council approves TIF overlay for 18‑Mile redevelopment after heated debate
Summary
After an extended debate about financial risk and whether neighboring taxing districts would participate, Central Town Council voted 4–2 on July 13 to establish a tax‑increment financing (TIF) overlay for the proposed 18‑Mile redevelopment project, keeping the option for borrowing on the table but not authorizing any immediate borrowing.
Central Town Council voted 4–2 on Tuesday to establish a tax‑increment financing (TIF) overlay for the proposed 18‑Mile redevelopment project, a move that drew extended public comment and sharp exchanges among council members.
Council member Doug Berry opposed the measure, saying the TIF could shift long‑term costs to existing residents and that the area does not meet the statutory criteria for a TIF. "I do not think that a TIF is the way to go," Berry said, warning the overlay could place a burden on residents on fixed incomes and stretch public services over the 5–12 year build‑out he described.
Several residents and speakers also raised concerns at public comment. Jack Queener told the council the current draft included Pickens County and the Pickens County School District as contributing taxing districts and urged caution: "There's nothing you can tell them" that makes this a good deal for citizens, he said, and warned that county and school participation was not secured.
Supporters, including the mayor, said the vote simply establishes a 25‑year overlay that preserves an option for financing infrastructure if the project proceeds; it does not commit the town to borrow now. The mayor framed the vote as prudent stewardship and a way to avoid redoing a years‑long planning process later: "We're not voting on a dime… we're just establishing the district and the parameters of that district if we feel we should ever want to use it," he said.
Council discussion focused on several technical and fiscal points: a contribution table in the draft TIF showing hypothetical participation by the county and school district; whether those taxing districts must be removed from the document if they decline participation now; the length of the projected build‑out (discussed by staff as roughly 20–25 years); and the magnitude of potential TIF revenue if other districts later join. Staff and the town attorney told council that keeping the county and district listed in the draft allows them to join later without reopening the entire planning process, though some council members said that could be confusing for future councils.
The ordinance to create the TIF overlay passed on second reading, 4 yes to 2 no. Council members in favor emphasized that adoption keeps an option available for infrastructure projects such as trails, ball fields and water towers; opponents said those goals could be pursued through other funding vehicles and warned of potential costs to existing taxpayers. No immediate borrowing or bond authorization was approved as part of this action.
What happens next: adopting the overlay means the town may later pursue borrowing against increment revenues if it and any participating taxing districts vote to do so. Council members and staff said further steps, if taken, would require separate votes and detailed financial analysis.
Reporting note: Central's public packet and the council discussion refer repeatedly to the "18‑Mile Village" project and to contribution tables in the TIF draft; the county and school district were described during the meeting as not currently participating, a point several speakers and council members emphasized.
