NW Illinois News

At its Dec. 5 meeting, the city council of Freeport discussed and voted against a motion on tax increment financing (TIF). At the Dec. 19 meeting, council members voted to bring the subject back to the floor for further discussion and consideration. 

This brought back the possibility of a study to be done in the area, in which the city would front the money and then be reimbursed by Park Partners LLC, who was asking for the TIF for its development on Park Boulevard, which is a proposed multi-unit private housing development.

“It would probably take about five months to do the study and come back to council,” City Manager Randy Bukas told council. “If the study says yes, it is feasible and legal to do it, then it'll be up to the council at that time to vote whether to create it or not."

Burkas said the length of the approval should be considered.

"And as Alderman (James) Monroe pointed out, he's not too comfortable with 23 years. The council could either approve it for 23 years or some lesser amount, ten years, 15 years, whatever they feel comfortable with that," Bukas said. "That will cover the cost ... that the developer can reimburse some of its cost for the study and for the improvements that are going in. And also at that time, the boundaries will be determined because what's in the contract was just something that was drawn up to kind of give the consultant an idea of what we're looking at and so we could get some kind of cost estimate.”

Residents attended the meeting to make public comments about this item, with Park Partners owner Todd Weegens saying that the proposed study might never result in an actual TIF district and if it did, it would be beneficial to the development. A resident in opposition, Alan Nowicki, said that TIF districts were normally used for business developments and districts, not private housing associations, asking that this development not be subsidized as many of the neighbors did not support it.

The council uploaded the livestream of its public meeting on the city’s YouTube channel.

The council voted in favor of allowing the study with a slim 4-3 vote in favor, and then accepted the proposed contract for a firm to conduct that study with a 5-2 vote in favor. The study could take up to five months and then the results will be examined and further steps will be decided afterwards. The proposed site has been in various city council discussions since July of 2022.

In other business, council discussed appointments for a variety of positions.

The council will meet again at 6 p.m. on Jan. 17 at City Hall on 314 West Stepenson St.