LAWRENCE CO. – The Lawrence County Redevelopment Commission met Thursday morning at the Lawrence County Courthouse. The newly revived redevelopment commission will weigh options on how and where to appropriate the $236,836.72 of revenue generated by the TIF area in Marshall Township.
The TIF area was established approximately 20 years ago and will expire within a year, and the commission would like for the funds to go to a specific project before the expiration date.
Projects proposed from the Marshall Township TIF include:
- Bring internet service to the Lawrence County Fairgrounds
- Add a sewer line extension in Marshall Township for future housing development
- Apply to the Avoca Park and Recreation of Marshall Township
In other business:
- Welcomed Cindy Brooking of the Mitchell Community School Board as a non-voting member of the group. During her first meeting of the commission she was engaged in the conversation of the group and gave input on several items discussed during the meeting.
- Dave Smith is the new legal counsel for the RDC, who was not in attendence for the meeting due to prior commitments. Smith suggested to the group to amend the existing TIF area around Lehigh instead of a complete renewal. The commission will consult with Ice Miller on how best to handle the proposed changes.
- The members discussed on what kind of other projects they will be looking at in the future. The revenue for the group will not see any significant amounts of revenue for at least 3-4 years as the construction project of Lehigh has just begun. In addition, tax abatements for the first two years after construction will impact the revenue generated to the RDC.
- Lawrence County RDC has received a total of $1,085,821.87 from the sale of Dunn Hospital. This money will have to be spent conservatively or on bonds issued for projects until additional revenue is generated in the future.
