23 September 2024 Dearborn County Plan Commission Meeting Notes

 23 September 2024 Dearborn County Plan Commission Meeting Notes

Present: Dennis Kraus, Jr., Chairman, Russell Beiersdorfer, Jeff Hermesch, Mark Lehman, Jake Hoog, Dan Lansing, and Eric Lang

ABSENT: Jim Thatcher and Joe Vogel

Also Present:  Nicole Daily, Planning and Zoning Director, and Andy Baudendistel, Attorney.

Mike Perleberg, Anthony Smart, Jim Mansfield and Jim Deaton were present from DCRC

There were two citizens in the audience.

Baudendistel read the Title VI statement as legally required.

ACTION ON MINUTES- July 22 Minutes- Approved with grammatical and duplicate name corrections. 

OLD BUSINESS: none

NEW BUSINESS:

Dearborn County Redevelopment Commission Submittal for a recommendation on a new TIF District in the Bright/Harrison Township area, to approve a declaratory resolution approved and adopted by the Dearborn County Redevelopment Commission establishing the Bright Economic Development Area and Allocation Area. Site Location: Portion of the Bright Unincorporated Area of Dearborn County Township: Harrison, Sections 34 & 35, Twp 7, Range 1, Acres: 114.2 Acres +/- 

Jim Deaton , Chairman of DCRC presented- wanted them to agree that the economic development plan agrees with the county’s master plan. Discussion regarding the school funding issues, the drainage issues.

Asked about the area borders and also the Bright Christian Church. They may expand the TIF The blue line is the economic development area. It has an intersection that might need upgrade there. The 114 acres is bordered by Sneakville, Stateline, and Jamison. It has properties on both sides of Sneakville and Jamison.The map in the study is very difficult to read. Road names etc are blurred, even on the computer version. The plan states: The main roadways within the proposed TIF area include State Line Rd, Jamison Dr, and Sneakville Rd.The area also includes Business Center Drive and Professional Park Drive, which are not currently under Dearborn County jurisdiction but are being investigated for design compliance.The core drilling report is detailed at the end of this report.

Baudendistel gave an explanation of the TIF and how it works to answer questions from Dan Lansing. He state this was not a HOTIF ( Housing Opportunity TIF)

Deaton gave a history of some of the TIFs already in the county. Talked about so many deals ready to sign and then something happens and it falls thru. It’s a long slow process. Most of our success is in the West Harrison TIF - we own the land so it is easier to deal.

Perleberg added: West Harrison TIF has had $28 million in new assessed value has been added.since that TIF was established in 2006. The Whitewater Mill TIF ends in 2039 . 

Perleberg- Without the TIF the project wouldn’t have happened. That’s the argument you always have to make for a TIF.- But For these things it would not occur. 

[NOTE: In the Bright TIF, this is a harder argument to make because there IS development already occurring, The issues cited in the paperwork revolve around projects that have failed to adequately do road paving- so the roads in question have not been accepted into the county road list for maintenance and drainage issues in a medical building that affect it and surrounding property.

 Section 3 of the justification for the TIF states that TIF is needed because the plan cannot be achieved by regulatory processes or by ordinary operations of private enterprise. There is a $217,000 price tag on fixing these problems in the plan.]

RECOMMENDATIONS in the BAYER BECKER REPORT

1. Improvements to Professional Park and Business Park drives should be completed for

the County to accept the streets and storm sewers.

2. From the site visits areas shown hatched on the Sheet 2/2 of the exhibit above should

milled and resurfaced in the areas hatched.

3. The final surface course of Professional Park and Business Park drives should be

completed.

4. The inlet on Lot #11 should be reconstructed.

5. Debris along the gutters should be removed and cleaned up.

6. Existing curb and gutter should be replaced near core #3.

7. The Business Center Drive connects to Stateline is on private property and is not

constructed to county standard. The county could accept it as it currently exists or

reconstruct to the standard.

8. The storm outlets on Lot 271 of Picnic Woods Section 10 are obstructed and need to be

cleared.

9. Drainage Channel ditch should be improved on the residential lots.

10. 15’ Drainage Easements should be established for the storm pipes and drainage courses

that do not exist on the St. Elizabeth Medical Center and on the residential lots on

Memorial Drive. Cost is set out in a table for the Business Park Improvements as:

$160,860 + 15% contingency of $24,129 + 20% design for $32,172 = $217,161

Separate from the plan - the declaratory resolution states on p2:

The Commission estimates the cost of implementing the Plan will be approximately

$2,850,000 (this estimate includes the construction of the Improvements).

Apparently there is a lot of cost to solving the drainage issues…….???

More discussion from Perleberg on Greendale’s TIFs 

Kraus asked about if this is approving the plan. What step was this? Step 2 . Goes to Commissioners and back to DCRC for public hearing. 

Deaton noted it takes money to fix the road situation on the Business Park Drive. Lang asked about the road acceptance issues - Kraus explained it was not done to county specs. 

Kraus asked about why Bright Christian Church was in the TIF. Deaton said they had whittled the area down from a much larger area - this was the starting solution and they may expand the TIF if it is needed. Perleberg said that intersection by the church may need upgrades in that area. 

PUBLIC COMMENT:

Chris Mueller-  Have a couple questions. I was curious about the notification process for this- whether or not the people of Bright who are in this district know that you are doing it? 

Perleberg said there is a required public hearing that is part of the statutory process for establishing a TIF district, that will be advertised. 

Chris Mueller- That will be advertised after all these other people have said YES, right? 

Perleberg- Yes.

Chris Mueller-So if you wanted to learn anything about what is outlined here or if there is some pitfall here that you haven’t seen that is known by the people in the area, you are not going to find that out until the end..Is that the normal process? Is that how this works?

Deaton - this is the statutory process.

Chris Mueller- I am remembering. The St Leon TIF process- when that was done, there were people in that area who wanted it and you saw both sides of the issues. There were not so much at the one in Aurora  for their county TIF, because Aurora started with an established industrial park. The one in St Leon did have people notified. I had questions on this notification process. I very briefly  summarized what I had read from the due diligence report. I asked why they picked all this territory up beyond the 2 problem spots mentioned in the report. What are you seeing in there that you want to TIF? 

Beiersdorfer- I can see the Bright Park.

Chris Mueller - But the CountyPark is not paying any taxes, are they? (NO)

Perleberg- But they could be the beneficiary of reinvestment in the area. 

Chris Mueller- In addition to what the park board does for it.

Baudendistel- Anthony Smart ( DCRC ATTORNEY) will interrupt me if needed. There is even case law that says you can use TIF money to build a fire dept build a fire truck if that fore dept serves that TIF area. Certainly Greendale’s TiF was set up to attract a lot of jobs as Dan Lansing said. But this TIF district Already has that but you are trying to help that area as a whole. And including the park helps the people of Bright because you can use TIF money to improve the park. 

Nicole Daily- In my opinion this is not a typical TIF that the county does- it’s an INFILL TIF. This is one where  businesses want to be there- but then they go who is going to take care of this?

Chris Mueller- Reminded them of the Stateline Rd Project and some of the businesses refused to help widen the area and get the sidewalks- Oh NO no no.. I understand where you are going , but this is 25 years of tax money and that is a lot of property beyond the problem spot.

Daily-  I can tell you that that is NOT the only problem area. We get called a lot. This is just  Phase One. 

Chris Mueller- So I am going to bring up something that has been talked about for a long time. Bright is unincorporated- and yet it operates like a small town or potential city.  

Several nodded,

Chris Mueller- What needs to really be happening here? That’s a question that needs to be asked.

Daily- Should it have it’s own overlay district maybe. We don’t have that here yet.. 

[NOTE: IF an area wants the amenities that go with cities or towns, should the county be baling them out with TIFs?]

Close Public Comment

Board- Approved the declaratory resolution or modify it. May not be comfortable with adding another TIF- Kraus.

Discussion:

It doesn’t affect the taxes the schools get.

If developers did it right first- we wouldn’t have this. 

Anthony Smart-There are a lot of ways to support the schools thru the TIF’s .Also the Fire and EMS.

Beiersdorfer- Expansion of sewage lines. The west Harrison TIF has not paid anything back from TIF to DCRSD. Perleberg etc will look at that old agreement. Could send DCRC a bill.

LMH and Crossroads sewers is also part of this “plan”?

Beiersdorfer motioned to approve the declaratory resolution 2024-DCRC001. Lehman seconded. One NAY- Dan Lansing - Approved with 5 votes. (The chair doesn’t vote unless a tie)

ADMINISTRATIVE:

Presentation by OneDearborn for the SR 1 Corridor Study:- Mike Perleberg- plan is run by Steering Committee and HWC Engineering. Stakeholder interviews. Healthy public meetings = 60 people in January 2023 and July 2023 100+ citizens attended. Also had online surveys with over 250 surveys filled out. North Dearborn Water serves. Fiberoptics exist. Existing  not enough to handle large growth. Light manufacturing versus heavy industry and also having a bedroom community may be preferred. Desire to grow more employment opportunities. 

But also preserve the rural character. Maybe have employment opportunities that support the rural AG part of the  county. Example Hall Farms. Utilities- North Dearborn Water and St Leon sewer, Try to do things that do not attract a lot of truck traffic. Neighborhoods- People concerned with the dense subdivisions with less quality. Wanted more estate type homes with more green space. 

Want pharmacy in area, restaurant, etc. perhaps. 

Changes to private property should be voluntary and market driven.

The study states: Without a plan in place, existing zoning entitlements may result in new development that does not align with the corridor vision or interests of surrounding residents. 

Rural estates and conservation subdivision

Encourage AG related business. 

Water and Sewer networks expanding. 

Transportation improvements

Present to officials.

Get control of Key parcels. 

Grant funding opportunities.

North Dearborn Water Co. got $3million from READI program that they tapped into.

 Perleberg ended with saying One Dearborn’s SR1 Study- Wants to have these ideas implemented into the county  Comprehensive plan update.

Nicole Daily- said she wants to revisit comp plan - as it needs to be done. (5 year intervals have been done since 2004 to keep the Comp Plan current.)

Daily -At the October meeting they will handle the other 2 items under Administrative. And  look at West Harrison Corridor and Schedule for 2025 and  Review, discuss and recommend changes to the Zoning Ordinance, Article 8—Floodplain Regulations and 

Review and discuss multiple changes to Zoning Ordinance and Subdivision Regulations based on new State Code related to development on slopes up to 25%.

No Plan Commission meetings in November and December unless a case comes up. Per Nicole Daily.

Meeting adjourned at - 7:20 PM

Christine Brauer Mueller

Lawrenceburg Township