County rejects TIF extension
</element><element id="paragraph-1" type="body"><![CDATA[The Saline County Board voted nearly unanimously Thursday night on a "do nothing resolution" that could spell the end of Harrisburg's 22-year-old tax increment financing district next year.
Since the tornado the city has been working with the region's lawmakers to extend the life of the TIF I district another 12 years. In response Sen. Gary Forby's office wanted to make sure the other taxing bodies impacted by the district actually support the move. His staff has asked for official letters of support from the taxing bodies.
County Board member Gary Siebert made the motion to "not send" a letter of support, or as Board Chairman Jay Williams summarized during the discussion, "we basically have a motion to do nothing."
Jonathan Prather seconded the motion and twelve members of the board voted yes with only one abstention by Danny Gibbs who had spoken out in favor of the extending the TIF district earlier in the discussion.
Siebert, Prather and other board members expressed reservations about past issues with TIF I, the lack of details available on the new proposed TIF districts now under consideration and the impact they would have on the county and school district.
Although Harrisburg businesswoman Lu Ann Maddox represented the city Thursday in requesting the letter of support, board members were disappointed neither the city's TIF consultant Bob Vancil or other officials were present who could answer their technical and legal questions.
Maddox explained Vancil had been in Springfield yesterday and had a doctor's appointment today.
But Prather pointed out, "we also have a mayor and some commissioners who should be here."
It's not clear what this will mean for the city's TIF I as Mayor Eric Gregg could not be reached for comment after the meeting.
Gregg and other city officials have been talking since early March about the creation of a tornado TIF district that would help finance some of the rebuilding in the parts of the city impacted by the twister.
The extension of TIF I's lifespan from the normal 23 to another dozen years came up at the same time. If the tornado TIF, or TIF III, as some call it, is created, it would still take a few years before there was enough economic growth in it to fund the rebuilding.
However, if the new TIF could be connected to the old TIF with a strip of land along the levee as has been suggested, then the city could transfer funds between the two TIF districts. State law allows this only when TIF districts are contiguous.
It's not clear if Forby will move forward with the legislative change at this point, which would normally just amend the state's TIF law with a one sentence insertion adding Harrisburg's district to the list of districts that lawmakers have allowed to run 35 years rather than their normal 23.
Officials could attempt to move the legislation forward, but with a backdoor approval process added that would require the other taxing bodies to all approve the extension by a certain date, or that it wouldn't go into effect.
The General Assembly's spring session ends next month and "time is running out," explained Maddox to the county's policy committee that met to consider the plan prior to the board meeting.
In other business the council moved one step closer to approving a new animal control ordinance for the county as well as expanded county ethics rules. Based on the discussion Thursday the board is expected to pass both ordinances next month.
The expanded ethics ordinance creates for the first time an ethics advisor, which is expected to be the state's attorney's office, and a three-member ethics commission to hear complaints.
When the county board approved an ethics ordinance in 2006 these two articles were left out or not included, explained State's Attorney Mike Henshaw.
"By leaving them out there was no mechanism for enforcing the ethics. It should have been included. Now this makes it complete," Henshaw explained.
If passed next month the ordinance would replace the old one. The board delayed repealing the old one Thursday until they had the new one in place.
The county board chairman would appoint the ethics advisor and the three members of the commission, of which only two could be of the same political party. The county board would then vote on accepting or rejecting the nominees.
The ordinance restricts who could serve on the commission in order to avoid conflicts of interests, a move Henshaw supports.
"I really don't think whoever is on this ethics commission should have anything do to with the county government," he urged.
Earlier in the meeting Harrisburg S.T.O.R.M. Coordinator Jerry King gave an update on the tornado recovery. He stressed anyone with storm losses who needs assistance should call his group at 294-9400. Their job is to match people with resources.
County Engineer Jeff Jones reported on three projects in the county which led to two votes approving a $750,000 estimate and engineering contract for work on Forest Road along the southeastern edge of the county. The board also approved a federal participation agreement on the road. The county's share of the cost will be $50,000.
Jones also updated the board of the expected closure of Harco Road next week.
The Galatia Mine's longwall mining machine will reach the road next Thursday or Friday. The day it undermines the road Jones said the county will close the bridge over the Middle Fork of the Saline River as the expected mine subsidence would take at least a day to impact the bridge.
"There's only a slim chance it would survive," he told the board.
The longwall mining schedule had moved up two months preventing the county from having a temporary bridge prepared for immediate replacement.
More details on the road closures will be released next week.
In his role as the county's Flood Plain Administrator Jones presented an application from Leroy Maffey for a variance permitting him to rebuild a pole barn destroyed by the tornado east of Harrisburg.
The barn would be used for farm equipment. Normally new construction in the flood plain would have to be built above the flood elevation. The barn is about three feet below that target. The variance would allow Maffey to rebuild at the same elevation as long as any utilities were set at least a foot above the flood level. The board approved the request.