The document discusses a proposed economic development plan and tax increment financing (TIF) district for Liberty Township in Porter County, Indiana. The TIF district would be established around a hospital area and portions of US Route 6 to fund infrastructure improvements and attract new businesses. The goals of the plan are to promote economic development, job growth, and increased property values in the township. Key actions needed include prioritizing projects, attending an upcoming meeting, and advocating for approval of the US Route 6 Corridor Study Overlay Plan and the Liberty Township TIF district.

1. Liberty Twp.
Economic Development Plan
(Hospital area / US-6 TIF)
Tax Incremental Financing
Pre-Planning meeting for presentation to RDC on March 17th, 2016.
Only new business, commercial, or industrial development is affected.
But the opportunity for local revenue is within our grasp, with
infrastructure and schools the chief beneficiaries as well as local jobs
and economic improvement.

2. Proposed TIF area

3. …basics from the plan…
Full plan is at http://www.porterco.org/DocumentCenter/View/2590
It is the goal of this Plan to address the underutilization of land and the barriers to its
economic development and redevelopment. Planning requires a set of goals and
objectives, identification of economic development opportunities, strategic land use
planning, and interaction between the Commission, the County’s Plan Commission,
County administrators and key policy makers.
…
The goals of the Plan are a combination of the Porter County, Indiana Corridor Plan,
that was adopted on May 19, 2009, and the Porter County Land Use and Thoroughfare
Plan, adopted in May of 2001.

4. What is a TIF?
Full plan is at http://www.porterco.org/DocumentCenter/View/2590
Tax increment financing (TIF) is a public financing method that is used as a subsidy for
redevelopment, infrastructure, and other community-improvement projects in many
countries, including the United States. Similar or related value capture strategies are
used around the world. Through the use of TIF, municipalities can dedicate future tax
revenues of a "particular business or group of businesses toward an economic
development project in the community.“
The value of ALL the properties inside the district is assessed or calculated and the
total amount of property tax generated by all those properties is noted – let’s call that
number the BASE AMOUNT OF PROPERTY TAX REVENUES. The life span of a TIF district
is determined by need. For the life span all property revenue ABOVE this BASE
AMOUNT is captured by the TIF district. This amount – the amount over the BASE is
called the INCREMENTAL REVENUE.

5. What is a TIF?
Tax increment financing (TIF) subsidies are considered to be among the "most powerful
and important tools currently available to cities to promote redevelopment of blighted
properties.“
To provide the needed subsidy, the urban renewal district, or TIF district, is essentially
always drawn around hundreds or thousands of acres of additional real estate (beyond
the project site) to provide the needed borrowing capacity for the project or projects.
The borrowing capacity is established by committing all normal yearly future real
estate tax increases from every parcel in the TIF district (for 10–25 years, or more)
along with the anticipated new tax revenue eventually coming from the project or
projects themselves.
The completion of a public or private project can at times result in an increase in the
value of surrounding real estate, which generates additional tax revenue. Sales-tax
revenue may also increase, and jobs may be added

7. …basics from the plan…
Full plan is at http://www.porterco.org/DocumentCenter/View/2590
Goals identified as part of this Plan include:
• Creation of an environment within the Township which will contribute to the health,
safety and general welfare of the County and enhance the value of properties in the
Township and adjacent to the Area;
• Provision for community and economic development initiatives to stimulate not only
economic development and private investment in the Township;
• Implementation of projects and/or programs developed to stimulate economic
development and private investment in the Township;
• Improvement of the quality of life for the County through the implementation of
economic development opportunities presented to the County for the Township;

8. …basics from the plan…
Full plan is at http://www.porterco.org/DocumentCenter/View/2590
Goals identified as part of this Plan, CONT’D.:
• Encouragement and facilitation of investment in the Township conducive to attracting
quality private investment that sets the standard and the trend for the healthy
economic growth serving local, regional and transient consumers;
• Objectives are specific and statements detailing how to achieve the Commission’s
goals for the Township. The following objectives of this Plan have been established to
guide the economic development planning of the Township;
• Retain and promote permanent jobs and employment opportunities that are a public
utility and benefit to the Township, the County and the State of Indiana;
• Stimulate increases in assessed valuation (property tax base) in the Area as a public
utility and benefit to the County;

9. …basics from the plan…
Full plan is at http://www.porterco.org/DocumentCenter/View/2590
Goals identified as part of this Plan, CONT’D.:
• Diversify the County’s economic base as a public utility and benefit to the Township,
the County and the State of Indiana;
• Encourage private investment in the Township to the extent feasible under the Act
and when within the goals and objectives of the Commission and the County for the
Township. Achieve economic development opportunities which are integrated both
functionally and aesthetically with adjacent land uses and development that currently
exist and that are intended to continue to exist in the Township in order to benefit the
County;

10. …basics from the plan…
Full plan is at http://www.porterco.org/DocumentCenter/View/2590
Goals identified as part of this Plan, CONT’D.:
• Encourage high standards of development architectural design, improving the
aesthetic appearance and economic welfare of the Township through the
encouragement of special design and development standards to ensure that new or
expanded development complements the architecture, adjacent land uses, building
scale and size, and overall character of the Area and adjacent areas including but not
limited to buffers for adjacent residential development, existing or planned for
development;
• Provide for the orderly physical and economic growth of the Township through
closely monitored economic development projects and programs;

11. …basics from the plan…
Full plan is at http://www.porterco.org/DocumentCenter/View/2590
Goals identified as part of this Plan, CONT’D.:
• Provide a safe, efficient and attractive traffic circulation system for the Township
which (i) is sensitive to adjacent land use developments; (ii) minimizes conflicts
between different forms of traffic such as, but not limited to, pedestrians, bike paths,
automobiles, transit, and service vehicles within the Area; and (iii) coordinates the
efficient ingress and egress to and from the Township from the I-90 corridor;
• Implement this Plan as a catalyst for future private investment and economic
development not only in the Township but also along the Porter County Corridor,
resulting in increased private investment in the Township and the County from
economic development and the creation of new employment opportunities for County
residents.

12. Full plan is at http://www.porterco.org/DocumentCenter/View/2590
Hospital area:
Meridian Rd east to N Calumet Ave.;
700N north to 900N
SR 149 east to Meridian Rd.
one parcel deep north and south
sides of US 6.

13. Full plan is at http://www.porterco.org/DocumentCenter/View/2590
Current Zoning
in Liberty Twp.
TIF area

14. US-6 Corridor
Study Overlay
Plan – Central
area -- Analysis
This crucial
plan was
delayed
indefinitely by
the county
commissioners

15. What do we need to do –
• -- decide, in order of priority, what projects would benefit Liberty
Twp. most.
• -- be at the March 17th meeting of the RDC, 8:30 in the morning.
• -- demand positive action on the US Hwy 6 Overlay plan from the
Commissioners.
• -- demand positive action on the Liberty / Hospital Area TIF.
• -- vote in the May Primary for the best person to replace John Evans
on the Republican ticket.
• -- don’t stop there!

16. Jim Biggs, Republican
John Cannon, Republican
Jeff Trout, Republican
Jeff Chidester, Democrat
The Commissioner Race, north dist. –
Only one will win the Primary and
go on to the November election.
Next year one of these four will be our North District Commissioner. Which one
will represent Liberty Township’s interests? --which one will push forward for
the US Hwy 6 Overlay Plan? --which one will push forward for the Liberty TIF?
--which one will work for and with Liberty Twp. residents?