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<br />redevelop blighted, contaminated, and deteriorating property. The success of this tool has led <br /> <br /> <br />to its inappropriate use by outer-ring suburbs, which has made it an expected tool for <br /> <br />development rather than an exceptional tool. If TIF remains as it currently is designed, <br /> <br /> <br />however, suburbs will continue to use TIF to draw businesses from the core cities, thus <br /> <br /> <br />perpetuating urban sprawl in the metro area. <br /> <br /> <br />In twenty years, St. Cloud and Rochester could be suburbs of the metro area if this <br /> <br /> <br />urban sprawl continues. The irony will be that TIF, which was created in part to put the brakes <br /> <br /> <br />on urban sprawl, will have become one of the primary contributors to it. It is the opinion of this <br /> <br /> <br />author, therefore, that tax increment financing needs to be returned to its original purpose. <br /> <br /> <br />The state legislature needs to examine the use of this tool by all local governments, <br /> <br /> <br />rather than to continue to focus only on the occasions of misuse. When it legislates only on the <br /> <br /> <br />exceptions, all cities are penalized. Yet if the state legislature did not think this was a good tool, <br /> <br /> <br />it would have abolished TIF long ago. <br /> <br /> <br />If the state legislature continues as it has, the metro area will continue to spread. State <br /> <br /> <br />and county transportation dollars will continue to be spent on creating more new roads rather <br /> <br /> <br />than on maintaining the current road system. Congestion on roads in the metro area will <br /> <br /> <br />increase from commuters from the outer-ring suburbs. <br /> <br /> <br />As a result, the Metropolitan Council will have limited authority to enforce its smart <br /> <br /> <br />growth plans (if this entity is even in existence in twenty years). As the metro area spreads, the <br /> <br /> <br />Met Council will have to invest in larger facilities for sewer services and water delivery, and in <br /> <br /> <br />more transit systems in the outer-ring suburbs. Meanwhile, with no foreseeable federal money <br /> <br /> <br />available, the infrastructure will deteriorate in the core cities and the inner-ring suburbs without <br /> <br /> <br />sufficient tax increment financing. <br /> <br /> <br />If the state legislature were to adopt a sane and responsible long-range vision for <br /> <br />economic development, tax increment financing would be returned to its original intent of <br /> <br />25 <br />