From the Indianapolis Business Journal:
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The proposal sought by the Ballard administration has been in the works for almost a year as part of the city’s attempt to stoke development in the 500 block of Massachusetts Avenue, promote development in the northwest quadrant of the Mile Square, and create a tech hub along West 16th Street near the old Bush Stadium.
Brian Mahern and other Democrats responded by forming a study commission to evaluate the city’s use of TIF districts, with an eye toward limiting their use.
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We aren’t against evaluating how the city uses TIFs and adopting safeguards to make sure the TIF mechanism isn’t abused. In fact, we encouraged the study when it was launched earlier this year. But we object to the foot-dragging demonstrated by those who want to overhaul the city’s TIF policy.
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The important projects the city is trying to jump-start with expansion of the downtown TIF district were conceived with TIF as part of the financial equation. This is not the time to drastically overhaul the city’s TIF policy. Officials on both sides of the debate can take a more rational, less politically charged look at the issue when there aren’t projects in the pipeline that will succeed or fail based on the outcome of deliberations.
The Democrats who worked with the Ballard administration to make the TIF expansion more palatable chose progress over grandstanding. It’s good to know the art of compromise isn’t dead in Indianapolis city government.
See the full article here:
http://www.ibj.com/article?articleId=36674
