Redevelopment Commission approves $1 million TIF appropriation to cover Beardsley site soil disposal

The Elkhart Redevelopment Commission voted July 14 to appropriate $1,000,000 from the downtown tax-increment financing (TIF) district to pay tipping fees and other disposal costs for contaminated soil excavated from 1101 East Beardsley.

Adam Fan, the commission's assistant director of redevelopment, told commissioners that the state SRF grant the city received for the cleanup left the project roughly $1,000,000 short for disposal costs. Fan said staff proposed appropriating the TIF dollars to avoid repeated reimbursement paperwork and to ensure work can proceed. "Were just gonna appropriate $1,000,000," Fan said, adding he does not expect the full amount to be spent.

Chair (speaker 2) moved the measure and it was seconded; the commission approved the appropriation by voice vote. Commissioner (speaker 4) asked what would happen if the full million is not spent; Fan replied any unused funds would remain in the downtown TIF account and would not be diverted elsewhere.

The appropriation accompanies a planned amendment to the redevelopment spending plan to reflect the additional Brownfield Services allocation. Staff said the Elkhart County Landfill requested the city cover disposal fees for those loads of soil and that removing the material is part of the remediation scope.

The action allows staff to proceed with excavation and disposal work while preserving the city's option to seek or receive reimbursements later under the SRF grant process. The commission did not record roll-call vote tallies in the transcript; the motion passed by voice vote.

Next steps: staff will amend the spending plan to formalize the appropriation and proceed with disposal as costs are incurred.