Thursday, April 10, 2014

10 April 2014 Dearborn County Redevelopment Meeting Notes


10 April 2014 Dearborn County Redevelopment Meeting Notes 

Present: Dave Deddens, Chairman, Jim Helms, John Rahe, Jim Deaton, and Maynard Barrett.

ABSENT: Kevin Lynch and Dusty Burress- non voting school board member

[NOTE: There are 6 voting members on this board and only 5 are legally allowed to vote. One of the commissioners appointees is technically not allowed to vote. Deddins and Barrett are Council appointees. The rest are commissioner’s appointees. The board can have 5 or if they want to expand it they can have 7 voting members. To date there has been no public discussion of how they plan to correct this situation.] 

Also present: Terri Randall, county administrator and economic development director, Andrea Ewan, attorney, and Randy Maxwell, consultant. 

Erika Schmidt Russell (Register Publications) covered this meeting

There was no agenda available as of closing time at the county administration building August 9. Basic agenda was available this morning at the meeting. Meeting started at 8:45 AM

Action of Executive session- Continue negotiation with the company confidentially.

Approval of minutes of March 13th meeting-approved.

Unfinished business-none

New Business- financials and claims- Through a routine audit from Barnes and Thornburg they discovered a billing for $2626 they had failed to submit in 2012. This was from when Kunkel was with the DCRC. They are legitimate services on TIFs per Randall. If we pushed back they may write it off. But the board wanted to keep a good relationship with them so they approved that along with the claims.

County administrator report- Randall said there were some legislative bills that affect Redevelopment. She will forward Tom Pitman’s report to them. Reorganizing the summary on redevelopment reports is on the list of items included in senate act 118. There are some more formal procedures and it will involve the council more on validating things that DCRC does. This has to do with building up excess TIF money. We are not near that amount here yet.

Barrett asked if they’d changed how the TIF money is used. Randall said no. Legislative body (council) reviews the DCRC budget too. DCRC no longer has eminent power domain. Friction starts with council when RC would start hoarding money per Barrett. Randall said we could have a conference call with Pittman where he would walk through this for the board. Randall said there is another bill that allows a local entity to decide whether or not to abate personal property tax. This might pit county against county for competing for business. [NOTE: isn’t this already happening?] Barrett said we are not full out on our COIT or a wheel tax. Legislature is trying to look at this.  Barrett said that he doesn’t see council raising taxes. [NOTE: Apparently, they are thinking that if we remove personal property tax to lure business, we will have to make up the shortfall by raising COIT County Optional Income tax and/or wheel taxes. So business gets a break on the backs of the taxpayers.]

Randall said that we are completely done with Whitewater mills and the bonds etc. All paperwork signed. Pitman said that the company gets the fees for $63,000 for all this as they get the benefits. Siemans of Whitewater Mills “graciously” took this over per Randall. Both $700,000 pieces from the Lawrenceburg Grant program for Whitewater Mill have been passed thru and accounted for to Lawrenceburg Grants program. Siemans will get the last check delivered personally from Terri Randall when he is the guest speaker at the Farm Bureau dinner at Tanner Valley Methodist church next week.

Barrett said the paperwork is all done- BUT we have to maintain a relationship with them to keep track of the other companies they are bringing in- like Naegele. [NOTE: and also to track the success or not of the business.]

Lawrenceburg city is following this closely too and have been able to tour and see how the money was used.

Randy and Randall has met with USDA and Jerry Haag who helped with OCRA grants. A lot of their stuff is low interest loans- but the grants would be worth going after. If they need a satellite firehouse out there- that might be worth running down per Randall.

Duke Energy has grants to help get a site ready to market- if it is one of the sites they service. Cardino ATC – they met with them regarding brownfields. We may have to get involved with the municipalities to help them target sites for this help. Farmland can even be eligible for brownfield help if they have used a lot of chemicals.

Attorney report- none [NOTE: Perhaps Ms Ewan might want to get with the county to get this board legally constituted. They have an incorrect number of voting members- and have had them for some time now. ]

Rahe asked about fixing up the Aurora Industrial park to make it more attractive to business out there. Randy said they had to make sure they help maintain this improvement. Lighting and landscaping. You also have to see who owns the land there. Perhaps the Highway Dept. could help with that as they are located there also.

Randall said that she and Grant Hughes attended a Redevelopment Commission meeting in Dillsboro. ( Deaton is affiliated with that one also) Grant had worked with Multiple Machining and she got to meet with them. She was amazed at how much they do. He had started out on Wilson Creek Road in his barn. His business is in Dillsboro’s first TIF. Moores Hill and St Leon are all working on their comprehensive plans. She said she was thanked for the county showing an interest in Dillsboro. Deaton said this was important to Dillsboro RC as it showed how important it was to work cooperatively.

 

Meeting adjourned at 9:17 AM

Christine Brauer Mueller

Lawrenceburg Township

 

 

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