Warsaw City Council approved creating an Eastern Tax Increment Finance district Monday night.
Councilman Charlie Smith made the motion, seconded by councilman Jeff Grose.
The vote was unanimous with council members Elaine Call, Cindy Dobbins Diane Quance and Jerry Frush voting in favor of the district. Councilman Mike Klondaris was absent from the meeting.
Warsaw Redevelopment Commission and Plan Commission at their Sept. 10 meetings approved sending a favorable recommendation to the city council to create the district.
A public hearing on the TIF district will be at the Oct. 1 Warsaw Redevelopment Commission meeting at noon at city hall for final review.
The district includes the property where the new Meijer store is being constructed at Anchorage Road and U.S. 30, and adjacent property to the east purchased by the Kosciusko YMCA.
It also includes Biomet and a 13-acre tract of land bordered by Anchorage Road and U.S. 30 that will be the site of a new commercial development.
Warsaw City Planner Jeremy Skinner said for the last 5 years the city has gotten pressure from industries in the area that need sewer.
“By creating this eastern TIF district and using the asset of Meijer we can come up with a plan and funds to provide sewer within the area,” Skinner said.
The project will include an eastern sewer interceptor project on the west side of U.S. 30, and extending Mariner Drive up to CR 200N and extending Springhill Road west to expand the medical park.
“The Mariner Drive extension will take some pressure off Husky Trail,” Skinner said.
The property north of Springhill Road could be a prime location for a medical park and professional office uses, Skinner said.
There also will be improvements to Anchorage Road, Bell Drive and Biomet Drive.
In other business, the council approved transfers for the Warsaw Street Department including $40,200 from street salaries and street main budget repairs and maintenance for hiring of the fall leaf crew.
Other transfers approved were $10,000 and $66,000 from street salaries to street main budget operating supplies for fuel, and $10,000 from cumulative capital development buildings to cumulative capital development repair and maintenance for concrete repair downtown.
The council approved transfering $5,000 from the permanent land fund into the cemetery permanent improvements fund for completion of the cremation garden concrete work.
Thallemer informed the council that the new city hall will open at the end of October or beginning of November.
Thallemer said progress on the new city hall has been delayed due to scheduling conflicts with NIPSCO.
Thallemer also said the two Buffalo Street properties the city has acquired will be torn down and the extermination work is in progress.
