Money we will do anything for Money
Officials committed to improving Ohio 310
Pataskala, Etna Twp. want TIFS implemented by January
By CHAD KLIMACK Advocate Reporter
PATASKALA -- Pataskala and Etna Township want to have a novel taxing mechanism -- one aimed at relieving congestion on Ohio 310 -- in place by January.
"Our goal is to have the readings and legislation completed prior to the first of January," said Pataskala Mayor Steve Butcher.
Officials from Pataskala and Etna Township have spent months discussing what they refer to as TIFs -- Tax Increment Financing districts. Last week, Jerry Brems, director of the Licking County Planning Commission, explained the districts to a roomful of business leaders at a Pataskala Area Chamber of Commerce meeting. Not you or I, the voters
Chamber member Bart Weiler attended the meeting and was happy to hear officials remain committed to improving Ohio 310."This seems to be the only alternative we have -- to plan for the growth before it comes," Weiler said. We don't have to let it come. You can manage your growth. They want you to believe that to get you to do what they want. You don't have to change zoning you don't have to lay down and take it. But these are the people who will make the money from it. They don't want you to think you have choices.
Brems told Weiler and the rest of the chamber TIFs "make sense" for Pataskala and nearby Etna Township because they would fund improvements to Ohio 310. It make sense for the city to steal the money from the school. You get extra tax dollars for the city without a vote from the people.
Once a property is placed in a TIF, any new investment on that property is exempt from taxes, Brems explained. However, that does not mean the property owner -- more than likely a businesses, corporation or company -- would not pay taxes. One of the above mentioned owners would pay the same amount in taxes, but the money would go into a TIF fund, which the city and township would then use to fund improvements to Ohio 310. TIFs would not increase people's taxes. Instead, the process works by "redirecting taxes," he said. Redirecting the taxes where voters intended the money to go to.
The only limitations regarding TIFs pertain to the time frame -- a 10-year limit without approval from a local school district, in this case Southwest Licking Local Schools -- and the total dollar amount exempted -- only 75 percent without approval from a local school district. Butcher said the city has no intention of asking the school district for a longer time frame or higher percentage. key words. "without approval from a local school district" of course we won't do more we don't want to deal with them saying no.
Pataskala is considering designating two TIF districts on Ohio 310. Both would cover about 300 acres.
Likewise, Etna Township has started the process of designating TIF districts. Hundreds of acres along Ohio 310 are primed for large-scale commercial and retail development -- Wal-Mart intends to build a supercenter on the east side of Ohio 310, just north of U.S. 40.
Etna officials are considering forming three TIF districts. All three would cover around 300 acres, Etna Township Trustee Paul George said. Two would stand along Ohio 310 -- one near the Wal-Mart site and one near Interstate 70 -- and the third would encompass an area on U.S. 40 across from Etna Corporate Park, George said.
Both the trustees and city council need to vote to formally designate the districts, and the officials are scrambling to take action by January in order to capture more tax dollars.
"What we're trying to do is be ahead of any new (tax) increases if property is sold on Ohio 310," Butcher said. We know the school going to be asking for more money and we want to get the tax dollars away from them so they can ask for more.
As for future uses of the TIF money, Butcher said Pataskala needs to wait for the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission to complete a study of the entire Ohio 310 corridor before committing to a project. The study likely will identify needed upgrades to the corridor, and the upgrades could include building an Ohio 310 bypass or adding lanes.
Weiler is willing to be patient because he knows the city and township have just one chance to get Ohio 310 right. You can only steal from the school once cause once people find out what we are really doing. You won't get away with it again.
"Obviously, the Ohio 310 corridor is the gateway to the whole Pataskala area, and you can only do that right once," he said.
Pataskala, Etna Twp. want TIFS implemented by January
By CHAD KLIMACK Advocate Reporter
PATASKALA -- Pataskala and Etna Township want to have a novel taxing mechanism -- one aimed at relieving congestion on Ohio 310 -- in place by January.
"Our goal is to have the readings and legislation completed prior to the first of January," said Pataskala Mayor Steve Butcher.
Officials from Pataskala and Etna Township have spent months discussing what they refer to as TIFs -- Tax Increment Financing districts. Last week, Jerry Brems, director of the Licking County Planning Commission, explained the districts to a roomful of business leaders at a Pataskala Area Chamber of Commerce meeting. Not you or I, the voters
Chamber member Bart Weiler attended the meeting and was happy to hear officials remain committed to improving Ohio 310."This seems to be the only alternative we have -- to plan for the growth before it comes," Weiler said. We don't have to let it come. You can manage your growth. They want you to believe that to get you to do what they want. You don't have to change zoning you don't have to lay down and take it. But these are the people who will make the money from it. They don't want you to think you have choices.
Brems told Weiler and the rest of the chamber TIFs "make sense" for Pataskala and nearby Etna Township because they would fund improvements to Ohio 310. It make sense for the city to steal the money from the school. You get extra tax dollars for the city without a vote from the people.
Once a property is placed in a TIF, any new investment on that property is exempt from taxes, Brems explained. However, that does not mean the property owner -- more than likely a businesses, corporation or company -- would not pay taxes. One of the above mentioned owners would pay the same amount in taxes, but the money would go into a TIF fund, which the city and township would then use to fund improvements to Ohio 310. TIFs would not increase people's taxes. Instead, the process works by "redirecting taxes," he said. Redirecting the taxes where voters intended the money to go to.
The only limitations regarding TIFs pertain to the time frame -- a 10-year limit without approval from a local school district, in this case Southwest Licking Local Schools -- and the total dollar amount exempted -- only 75 percent without approval from a local school district. Butcher said the city has no intention of asking the school district for a longer time frame or higher percentage. key words. "without approval from a local school district" of course we won't do more we don't want to deal with them saying no.
Pataskala is considering designating two TIF districts on Ohio 310. Both would cover about 300 acres.
Likewise, Etna Township has started the process of designating TIF districts. Hundreds of acres along Ohio 310 are primed for large-scale commercial and retail development -- Wal-Mart intends to build a supercenter on the east side of Ohio 310, just north of U.S. 40.
Etna officials are considering forming three TIF districts. All three would cover around 300 acres, Etna Township Trustee Paul George said. Two would stand along Ohio 310 -- one near the Wal-Mart site and one near Interstate 70 -- and the third would encompass an area on U.S. 40 across from Etna Corporate Park, George said.
Both the trustees and city council need to vote to formally designate the districts, and the officials are scrambling to take action by January in order to capture more tax dollars.
"What we're trying to do is be ahead of any new (tax) increases if property is sold on Ohio 310," Butcher said. We know the school going to be asking for more money and we want to get the tax dollars away from them so they can ask for more.
As for future uses of the TIF money, Butcher said Pataskala needs to wait for the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission to complete a study of the entire Ohio 310 corridor before committing to a project. The study likely will identify needed upgrades to the corridor, and the upgrades could include building an Ohio 310 bypass or adding lanes.
Weiler is willing to be patient because he knows the city and township have just one chance to get Ohio 310 right. You can only steal from the school once cause once people find out what we are really doing. You won't get away with it again.
"Obviously, the Ohio 310 corridor is the gateway to the whole Pataskala area, and you can only do that right once," he said.
posted by Tough_Waters at 7:47 AM
2 Comments:
No TIFs No Abatments
Published December 28,2006
Dear Pataskala Standard Editor,
TIFs may work in depressed or impoverished areas to jump start economic development. But SWL doesn't need that. If we want quality development in SWL it is best to not to offer TIFs. It is best to have strong zoning and building codes that encourage stable high quality public and private entities to locate here. It is best to have high quality development or no development at all.
If a company locates here with an abatement they will leave if the abatement is not continued. The only way to replace them is to offer an abatement to another company to fill the vacancy.
School funding seems to drive our community to encourage any type of industrial and commercial economic development. These types of developments may relieve some of the burden on residential property owners. But I moved here knowing property taxes were a little higher and I can live with that in eaxchange for a nice community.
The taxpayers could remove the schools from this issue if we would just meet our States minimum 23 mill requirement and get off the 20 mill floor. We have suffered that 3 mill penalty too long.
Please encourage our leaders to stand strong and not offer abatments and TIFs to encourage unwanted development in SWL.
It is worse than that. Etna has TIF every place that development might happen. How can they do this when they know that there are school issues on the coming ballot? 10 years. Like it is going to take 10 years to widen 310? What are they thinking?
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