Bonds, roads added to TIF options

Jay County Redevelopment Commission has added a few items to its wish list.

Commission members agreed to mark paying off the bonds associated with Jay County Regional Sewer District and make repairs to county roads as potential uses of dollars coming in from the tax increment financing (TIF) district.

They also heard from Ed Curtin of CWC Latitudes about the process for updating the group’s economic development plan.

Created about 15 years ago after plans to build an ethanol plant in rural Jay County were announced, the TIF district covers approximately 191 acres southwest of Portland in Greene Township. TIF dollars have been used since then to pay off bonds associated with road work and sewer improvements near the plant.

Jay County paid off its final bond for the project in 2023, and the redevelopment commission is looking into options for dollars coming in from the district for the next 13 years. 

According to county auditor Emily Franks, the redevelopment commission has $851,189.83 in TIF dollars currently available, with an additional $573,448.82 coming in by the end of the year.

Redevelopment commission vice president Faron Parr suggested paying off bonds associated with Jay County Regional Sewer District. 

Created in 2011 and ’12, the sewer district serves customers in the Foxfire Addition southwest of Portland and two areas near Dunkirk. Sewer district customers asked Jay County Council for help in early 2018 because of rate increases. Monthly payments would have eventually reached $92.80 for rural Portland area residents and $101.85 for rural Dunkirk area residents.

Jay County commissioners and council agreed in October 2018 to take over the district's bond payments that total around 28,000 annually.

with the goal of reducing rate increases that went into effect in August 2018 while also allowing the sewer district to bring in enough money to pay its other bills and build up savings for maintenance.

At that time, a plan was also put in place for streamlining maintenance and reporting systems, naming commissioners and council members to seats on the sewer district board, continuing to check on increased meter readings in Dunkirk and reviewing charges from the cities of Portland and Dunkirk, which handle the wastewater from the sewer systems.

Bonds from Jay County Regional Sewer District currently sit at $497,000 in principle with $253,075 in interest and are expected to be paid off by 2051. Parr said the interest payment is comparatively low, but he noted benefits to pay off the bonds early, such as the sewer district changing hands.

“It was talked about the city taking it over after we paid it off,” he said. “And then we would be out of the sewer business, which we don’t want to be in the sewer business anyway.”

A former Jay County Commissioner himself, Parr noted the conversation would need to be between commissioners and city mayors.

Parr also recalled residents voicing concerns about the state of county roads surrounding POET after the ethanol plant was established. Discussion specifically centered around potentially making repairs if needed to county roads 200 South and 125 South, with Curtin noting he would likely broaden the language to include projects relating to any county roads.

Redevelopment commission formally agreed to add both the sewer district bonds and road repairs to its list of TIF district projects.

In related news, Curtin noted he would create a draft for updating the economic development plan. The document will be based on items in Jay County Commissioners’ capital improvement plan, which was approved in October by the redevelopment commission as a list of potential projects to fund with TIF district dollars. Those include projects for broadband, Jay County Highway Department, Jay County Solid Waste Management District, Jay Emergency Medical Service, Jay County Health Department, development of the 68 acres owned by the county on the western edge of Portland and a sober living facility.

Curtin explained the process for updating the plan starts with a declaratory resolution from redevelopment commission. The legislation next moves to Jay County Plan Commission, then Jay County Commissioners before returning to redevelopment commission for a final decision.

He told the group he will put together a draft of the plan in order to prepare for starting the process.

In other business, redevelopment commission members Carl Walker, Brian McGalliard, Faron Parr and Shannon Current, absent Chuck Huffman and Ted Champ:

•Approved an agreement for Baker Tilly for scope of services around $1,750. The company aids Jay County Auditor’s Office in the TIF neutralization process in July and other related work.

•Re-appointed Walker as president and appointed Faron Parr as vice president and Chuck Huffman as secretary