House bills 5851-5856 which require TIF authorities to undertake additional transparency and reporting requirements, as well as eliminate the capturing of special millages after December 31, 2016, is scheduled for a vote in the House today.

The League has been very involved working to make sure that new transparency and accountability measures are palatable. We are very concerned with the language in this package that defines what a new special millage is. As outlined within this package currently, it will be very easy to take an existing special millage and qualify it as a new special millage to avoid TIF authorities from capturing. We have been told this is not the intention of the provision in the bills, yet the definition language has not been amended to clarify.

Contact your State Representative now to urge them to vote no on House bills 5851-5856 which will block tax capture of not just new millages, but most likely all renewed or revised millages.

Jennifer Rigterink is a legislative associate for the League handling economic development, land use and municipal services issues.  She can be reached at jrigterink@mml.org or 517-908-0305.