Commissioners Approve Resolution For South Shore Residential TIF
January 18, 2023 at 12:54 a.m.
Commissioners Approve Resolution For South Shore Residential TIF
By David [email protected]
Attorney Adam Turner, on behalf of the Kosciusko County Redevelopment Commission, told the commissioners the Redevelopment Commission has been in the process of creating two residential TIFs in the county.
The first one - which was not before the Commissioners Tuesday - is a small residential TIF in Etna Green and the county’s Redevelopment Commission was involved in that one because the town doesn’t have a redevelopment commission of its own.
The one before the commissioners Tuesday was the South Shore Residential TIF, just south of the town of Syracuse.
“The resolution before you is just one step in the process. The Redevelopment Commission started this back in the latter part of last year,” Turner said, adding that they “pumped the brakes” a little bit on the process so it wasn’t all jammed into 2022.
Turner said the declaratory resolution passed after a public hearing in front of the Redevelopment Commission at the beginning of January. The Area Plan Commission then reviewed the area outlined in the resolution and given its approval, so the next step in the process was for the commissioners to review the Plan Commission’s approval and give their approval.
“The next step will then be a tax impact study, which will be completed by Baker Tilly. That will go out and determine the tax impact on all the overlapping tax districts for this residential TIF project. That will go out to all the overlapping tax districts and come back before the Redevelopment Commission for another public hearing and a confirmatory resolution at that point,” Turner explained.
He said the residential TIF process is new to the county, though the city of Warsaw and town of Winona Lake have passed them. Putting a residential TIF in place incentivizes developers to come into a given area and put in some housing.
After county attorney Ed Ormsby said he reviewed the documentation and it was OK, the commissioners unanimously approved the resolution provided by Turner.
The commissioners also approved all the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) grant requests as recommended by the ARPA Committee. The Kosciusko County Council approved them at their meeting Thursday.
Four of those requests include $32,991.54 for Claypool Police Department for two mobile and six portable radios that will work with the county’s new public safety communications project; $14,140.94 for Syracuse Police Department for programming radio system; $18,457.44 for the Milford Police Department for radio enhancement; and $154,272.94 for radios for the Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Office.
Commissioner Cary Groninger explained, “As the system has come online, there’s been some things that we have found - whether that’s not being able to program or some radios we thought would work because of location, as far as the jail and other things, but we’re finding that to really bring this system up to 100%, these additional radios, programming more radios are needed.”
The county used ARPA to buy radios for all the emergency services in the county thus far, Groninger said, but some of the departments didn’t receive radios because they bought some radios previously that ended up needing reprogrammed or didn’t work with the new system.
The four requests help the county finish out what it started with the communication system or finalize what’s out there, he said.
The deadline for emergency services to request ARPA money for radios and/or radio equipment or programming is Feb. 27 to the county auditor.
“This isn’t something we want to continue to see for months and years,” Groninger said.
Another ARPA request was made by The Beaman Home Executive Director Renea Salyer for $37,066.68. The money will be used to purchase three sets of washers and dryers, two new windows, paint and a bug oven heater for the shelter.
“These are all items that are experiencing a lot of wear and tear in the shelter and we house about 250 clients per year so our washers and dryers go through a lot and they’re about close to their life span,” Salyer stated.
The final ARPA request was for $18,859.25, made by Combined Community Services Director of Emergency Services Tim Frame on behalf of Executive Director Randy Polston. The funds will be used to cover some additional costs involved with the purchase of a transit van.
In other business, the commissioners unanimously approved:
• Jim Smith’s contract as sheriff with the county for 2023. The amount of Smith’s salary is $115,515 plus about $6,000 in longevity. The County Council approved it at their meeting Thursday night.
Smith also presented the commissary report for July through December 2022, which the commissioners approved.
• KCSO Chief Deputy Chris McKeand’s request to apply for an Indiana Department of Homeland Security grant for $31,920 for body-worn cameras to help outfit the jail and replace worn and defective units the KCSO already has. McKeand said the grant will replace about 45 of the units.
• Paul Stoelting to replace Alan Alderfer on the Public Defender Board for the remainder of Alderfer’s term, which expires Sept. 25, 2025.
• The reappointments of Kosciusko County Health Department Administrator Bob Weaver and Ormsby to the Tippecanoe and Chapman Regional Sewer District Board of Trustees.
• Tabling quotes to Jan. 31 for procuring an architectural firm to help the county with work at the Justice Building, including carpeting, painting and wallpapering, as recommended by County Administrator Marsha McSherry. She reached out to three firms, with two responding but the quotes were broad. One was around $15,000 and the other was around $78,000.
• A quote from Core Mechanical for $8,368 for work at the Justice Building on the lift station, as requested by McSherry.
• A request by Kosciusko County Highway Department Superintendent Steve Moriarty to buy a banded brush chipper for $67,502.80.
• A request by Moriarty to advertise for bids for Community Crossings grant work on Old 30 and Pierceton Road. The bids will be open at 9:15 a.m. Feb. 14.
The commissioners also heard:
• From Ormsby that the county’s first payment from the national opioid settlement was received and is for $266,561.25. The county’s restricted portion is $187,050.69 and may only be used for opioid abatement activities. The unrestricted portion is $79,510.56 and may be used by the county however it chooses. Ormsby said further payments are expected later this year.
• From Emergency Management Agency Director Ed Rock that Kip Shuter is his new deputy director and Shuter will be taking over for Rock when Rock retires at the end of March.
“I just thank you for this opportunity to be able to serve our community again. I have some large shoes to fill, but I think I’m up for the task and, again, I’m just thankful for this opportunity,” Shuter told the commissioners.
Rock said he was really looking forward to what Shuter can do for the EMA and he thinks there will be some improvements under Shuter’s leadership.
• A quarterly report from Kosciusko Economic Development Corporation CEO Alan Tio.
Attorney Adam Turner, on behalf of the Kosciusko County Redevelopment Commission, told the commissioners the Redevelopment Commission has been in the process of creating two residential TIFs in the county.
The first one - which was not before the Commissioners Tuesday - is a small residential TIF in Etna Green and the county’s Redevelopment Commission was involved in that one because the town doesn’t have a redevelopment commission of its own.
The one before the commissioners Tuesday was the South Shore Residential TIF, just south of the town of Syracuse.
“The resolution before you is just one step in the process. The Redevelopment Commission started this back in the latter part of last year,” Turner said, adding that they “pumped the brakes” a little bit on the process so it wasn’t all jammed into 2022.
Turner said the declaratory resolution passed after a public hearing in front of the Redevelopment Commission at the beginning of January. The Area Plan Commission then reviewed the area outlined in the resolution and given its approval, so the next step in the process was for the commissioners to review the Plan Commission’s approval and give their approval.
“The next step will then be a tax impact study, which will be completed by Baker Tilly. That will go out and determine the tax impact on all the overlapping tax districts for this residential TIF project. That will go out to all the overlapping tax districts and come back before the Redevelopment Commission for another public hearing and a confirmatory resolution at that point,” Turner explained.
He said the residential TIF process is new to the county, though the city of Warsaw and town of Winona Lake have passed them. Putting a residential TIF in place incentivizes developers to come into a given area and put in some housing.
After county attorney Ed Ormsby said he reviewed the documentation and it was OK, the commissioners unanimously approved the resolution provided by Turner.
The commissioners also approved all the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) grant requests as recommended by the ARPA Committee. The Kosciusko County Council approved them at their meeting Thursday.
Four of those requests include $32,991.54 for Claypool Police Department for two mobile and six portable radios that will work with the county’s new public safety communications project; $14,140.94 for Syracuse Police Department for programming radio system; $18,457.44 for the Milford Police Department for radio enhancement; and $154,272.94 for radios for the Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Office.
Commissioner Cary Groninger explained, “As the system has come online, there’s been some things that we have found - whether that’s not being able to program or some radios we thought would work because of location, as far as the jail and other things, but we’re finding that to really bring this system up to 100%, these additional radios, programming more radios are needed.”
The county used ARPA to buy radios for all the emergency services in the county thus far, Groninger said, but some of the departments didn’t receive radios because they bought some radios previously that ended up needing reprogrammed or didn’t work with the new system.
The four requests help the county finish out what it started with the communication system or finalize what’s out there, he said.
The deadline for emergency services to request ARPA money for radios and/or radio equipment or programming is Feb. 27 to the county auditor.
“This isn’t something we want to continue to see for months and years,” Groninger said.
Another ARPA request was made by The Beaman Home Executive Director Renea Salyer for $37,066.68. The money will be used to purchase three sets of washers and dryers, two new windows, paint and a bug oven heater for the shelter.
“These are all items that are experiencing a lot of wear and tear in the shelter and we house about 250 clients per year so our washers and dryers go through a lot and they’re about close to their life span,” Salyer stated.
The final ARPA request was for $18,859.25, made by Combined Community Services Director of Emergency Services Tim Frame on behalf of Executive Director Randy Polston. The funds will be used to cover some additional costs involved with the purchase of a transit van.
In other business, the commissioners unanimously approved:
• Jim Smith’s contract as sheriff with the county for 2023. The amount of Smith’s salary is $115,515 plus about $6,000 in longevity. The County Council approved it at their meeting Thursday night.
Smith also presented the commissary report for July through December 2022, which the commissioners approved.
• KCSO Chief Deputy Chris McKeand’s request to apply for an Indiana Department of Homeland Security grant for $31,920 for body-worn cameras to help outfit the jail and replace worn and defective units the KCSO already has. McKeand said the grant will replace about 45 of the units.
• Paul Stoelting to replace Alan Alderfer on the Public Defender Board for the remainder of Alderfer’s term, which expires Sept. 25, 2025.
• The reappointments of Kosciusko County Health Department Administrator Bob Weaver and Ormsby to the Tippecanoe and Chapman Regional Sewer District Board of Trustees.
• Tabling quotes to Jan. 31 for procuring an architectural firm to help the county with work at the Justice Building, including carpeting, painting and wallpapering, as recommended by County Administrator Marsha McSherry. She reached out to three firms, with two responding but the quotes were broad. One was around $15,000 and the other was around $78,000.
• A quote from Core Mechanical for $8,368 for work at the Justice Building on the lift station, as requested by McSherry.
• A request by Kosciusko County Highway Department Superintendent Steve Moriarty to buy a banded brush chipper for $67,502.80.
• A request by Moriarty to advertise for bids for Community Crossings grant work on Old 30 and Pierceton Road. The bids will be open at 9:15 a.m. Feb. 14.
The commissioners also heard:
• From Ormsby that the county’s first payment from the national opioid settlement was received and is for $266,561.25. The county’s restricted portion is $187,050.69 and may only be used for opioid abatement activities. The unrestricted portion is $79,510.56 and may be used by the county however it chooses. Ormsby said further payments are expected later this year.
• From Emergency Management Agency Director Ed Rock that Kip Shuter is his new deputy director and Shuter will be taking over for Rock when Rock retires at the end of March.
“I just thank you for this opportunity to be able to serve our community again. I have some large shoes to fill, but I think I’m up for the task and, again, I’m just thankful for this opportunity,” Shuter told the commissioners.
Rock said he was really looking forward to what Shuter can do for the EMA and he thinks there will be some improvements under Shuter’s leadership.
• A quarterly report from Kosciusko Economic Development Corporation CEO Alan Tio.
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