We need to use the available tools

Vision is one thing. Will is another.
Good-hearted, dedicated folks are at work with Ball State University to craft a new vision for Portland’s downtown business district.
And we applaud that.
But, at the same time, we recall that this isn’t the first time down this road.
Past groups — some of them involving the same dedicated individuals — have taken on the same chore.
But it isn’t vision that has been lacking.
It’s political will.
And without political will this time around, the work by all those BSU students and good-hearted folks won’t bear fruit.
What is particularly frustrating to those who have watched the parade of concern about downtown over the years is that the City of Portland has at its disposal the tools it needs to really make things happen.
Back when Bruce Hosier was mayor, he not only took the bold step of creating a TIF district in the city, he also made sure that the district could provide the resources to transform downtown Portland.
A TIF district, to those unfamiliar with the concept, allows local government to capture the property taxes that come from new development and put them to use in a targeted way.
TIF stands for tax increment financing. The concept works like this: A piece of bare ground is assessed at a certain value, but development on that bare ground — say, a Walmart Supercenter — is assessed at a much higher value. If a TIF district has been established, the taxes on the bare ground still go to local government, but the property taxes on the new development go into a special pot for targeted projects.
The key is where the boundaries of a TIF district are drawn. Then-mayor Hosier had the foresight to make sure that the boundaries included West Votaw Street, Industrial Park Drive, the North Meridian Street corridor and nearly all of downtown.
The thinking was that if downtown saw a negative impact from developments on North Meridian or West Votaw, then some of the property taxes on those developments could be used to redevelop downtown.
It was smart, and it was clever. But there’s no point in having a tool like that unless it’s put to use.
Who decides how to use the tool? The city’s redevelopment commission.
What have they done with it? Not nearly as much as they could have.
During the Hosier administration, TIF district revenues were tapped to support a bond issue that paid for widening Industrial Park Drive to three lanes. Good enough. Traffic at shift change was a problem.
But the real potential has never been tapped.
What could those dollars be used for?
Portland Redevelopment Commission could purchase downtown problem properties, rehab them, put them on the market and get them back on the tax rolls. Unlike a private developer, the commission wouldn’t have to worry about making a profit. Its real mission is community improvement, not making money.
The commission could also purchase problem properties and raze them if that makes more sense. The bare ground could then be put on the market.
The commission could also provide grants to downtown property owners to pay for tuck-pointing and other masonry work that is essential to keeping the city’s commercial building stock viable.
And that just scratches the surface.
The point is, the tools are there. Sure, let’s refine the vision with the help of Ball State. But then let’s use the tools we have to get the job done.
Too much time has been wasted already. — J.R.