The village of Sugar Grove is one step closer to potentially amending the village’s Northeast Airport Tax Increment Finance District No. 2.
That action, as taken Dec. 5 by the joint review board, could help provide a tool to spur activity in areas in need of redevelopment.
As part of its annual process, the village called a series of meetings to give representatives for neighboring tax bodies the opportunity to receive an update, ask questions and make comments.
The village is looking to add some properties along U.S. Route 30 and Route 47 to TIF District No. 2.
Officials believe freezing the tax base is allowing new monies generated to redevelop the area.
The TIF District was originally passed by the Sugar Grove Village Board in 2015.
The joint review board’s decision did not come without some opposition.
Sugar Grove Fire Protection District Chief William “Bill” Perkins spoke on behalf of the district.
“The fire district remains adamantly against the addition to or any more TIF Districts,” he said. “I understand what the village is trying to do, but these properties will not add students to the schools, they won’t add parks, they may not require more books to be checked out of the library, but they will have effect on police and fire.”
Perkins expressed taking issue with future redevelopment creating a possible need for increased fire protection district services.
“We’re receiving no funds,” he said. “We’re trying to be good partners, but you have to understand the fact that public safety at a fire protection district has a specific impact by these type of things. We did TIF No. 2 and TIF No. 2 did nothing. We’re, like you said, four years into it and you’ve had no action with it.”
Village President Sean Michels tried to address the concerns.
“We’re getting some return on our investment,” he said. “We have a lot of upfront costs. I know that we’ve improved response time for the fire district. We all have needs, that’s for sure.”
The Sugar Grove Village Board will have the final say as to whether to amend the TIF District.
With an amendment, the money budgeted in the village’s Industrial TIF District No. 1 can be transferred more easily to and from the Northeast Airport TIF District No. 2, officials said.
The village’s TIF District No. 1 amounted to approximately $218,000 as of April, while TIF District No. 2 has a negative fund balance.
The village is eying the idea of using TIF funds to pay for some infrastructure improvements to encourage new development, officials said. The village has seen interest expressed in certain properties only for plans to fall through.
A public hearing regarding the amendment to TIF District No. 2 is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Jan. 7.