Send TIF Proposals Back to Committee

The Metropolitan Development Committee of the City-County Council met last night to deal with a handful of, frankly, mundane proposals. What wasn't on the agenda was the stalled TIF district proposals, which would extend the downtown TIF to encompass much of Massachusetts Avenue as well as creating a new TIF district as well.

You can read the details of what happened concerning the TIF district proposal via Jon Murray's latest Indy Star contribution.

So the council finally worked through some type of compromise on TIF districts that have long been pushed by the 25th floor. Good, right? Compromise! Government at work!

Eh, not so fast.

The TIF proposal was not on last night's planned agenda, and the chairman of the committee moved for adjournment and even left the room.

While it is within the council's purview to consider proposals that aren't on the agenda, the committee is typically where the public gets to have their say. Committees are also typically the place where councilors who do not sit on committees can voice their concerns and propose amendments to proposals.

This is a violation of the council's due diligence.

At the next full council meeting, council President Maggie Lewis or Majority Leader Brian Mahern should move to send this proposal back to committee so that this proposal can go through a proper vetting and hearing.