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Redevelopment commission approves two consulting contracts with local consultant Dan Bowditch to audit TIF districts
Summary
The Crown Point redevelopment commission voted to approve two six-month consulting agreements with Crown Point resident and consultant Dan Bowditch to monitor tax-increment financing allocation areas and provide general economic development reporting; the allocation review is capped at $27,000 and the general consulting agreement at $45,000, both subject to final legal review.
The Crown Point City redevelopment commission voted to approve two professional-service agreements with consultant Dan Bowditch, who told commissioners he is a Crown Point resident and has 26 years of municipal finance and planning experience. The first agreement, an allocation-area monitoring provision, "is not to exceed of $27,000," Bowditch said; the second, a general economic-development consulting agreement, is "not to exceed $45,000." Both contracts were approved on a motion, second and voice vote and are subject to final legal review.
Bowditch told the commission his work will collect and scan all approval documentation for each allocation area, verify parcel boundaries with the Lake County auditor, identify bonds and obligations with the municipal financial adviser, and prepare binders suitable for upload to the city website to improve public transparency. He described the work as "economic development forensics," including a 10-year look-back on abatements and allocation activity and analysis of potential consolidation or "pruning" of allocation areas to correct tax-decrement parcels.
Commissioners asked how his role differs from the city's municipal financial adviser (FSG/Greg Garitas). Bowditch and staff said his role is separate and complementary: Bowditch will monitor and prepare detailed documentation and pro formas, while FSG would continue to perform bond-issuance and registered municipal-adviser functions. Bowditch said he will hand obligations over to the municipal financial adviser where registration or sale tasks are required.
A commissioner raised whether existing budgeted economic-development services would be used to pay the contracts; staff said about $20,000 of services in the 2027 budget could be reprioritized toward these agreements if needed. The commission approved the contracts on a voice vote; the motion was made to approve "both agreements for professional services as presented, subject to final legal review" (mover: S6; second: S2).
Bowditch gave a local example of the services he has provided and emphasized training staff so the city can perform routine monitoring in future years. He also cited state redevelopment reporting under Indiana code (referenced by him as 36-7-14) as part of the work the consultant will support.
What happens next: contracts will be finalized under legal review, and Bowditch said he will provide his contact information and begin compiling documentation for upload and annual monitoring.
