This Wednesday morning, the House Tax Policy committee will be holding a shortened committee hearing on TIFs/DDAs.  We will be testifying in support of these tax capture districts and the Michigan Association of Counties will be testifying as well, likely discussing their desire for more opt out ability.

As this conversation heats up, it would be very helpful if you could contact your legislators and not only discuss with them the benefit these districts have provided to your community but also invite them to the district so they can see firsthand the positive impact.  Have them talk with business owners, residents, etc. to get their perspective of the positive impact as well as from the local community’s perspective.

This is the perfect opportunity for communities to show the benefits of their TIF districts and the great things that have happened because of them that not only benefit the local community but also the region surrounding it.  Discuss with them what an opt-out would do to the economic development efforts of your community and how useful these tools truly are.

Please feel free to contact me to talk about this further or with any questions.

Nikki Brown is a legislative associate for the League handling economic development and land use issues.  She can be reached at nbrown@mml.org or 517-908-0305.