By GLEN WERLING
Wells County Economic Development Executive Director Chad Kline believes a tax increment financing district could go a long way toward attracting housing developments in Ossian.
Toward that end Monday night, Kline proposed that the Ossian Town Council — meeting as the Ossian Redevelopment Commission — give consideration to creating residential TIF districts. A tax increment financing district captures all new property tax funds generated by a developed piece of property and channels those funds toward infrastructure and safety improvements to the designated district.
Specifically mentioned in Kline’s proposal was a proposed development by real estate developer Kevin Biggs for a piece of bare farmland on Ossian’s north side, west of Ind. 1, and just north of the Rose Ann Heights housing subdivision.
Kline informed the council that in order for a development to qualify for funds from the Regional Development Authority there is a matching requirement.
“If we were to go all in on costs from the town just to make the subdivision happen, we’re looking at anywhere from $1.5 million to $2.5 million in sewer upgrades that are necessary. That does not include anything in the subdivision itself,” Kline said.
In order to serve a housing addition the size that is being proposed, the Davis Road sewage lift station would have to be replaced with a much larger lift station, Kline said.
Ingress and egress to the new subdivision would also require the removal of part of the former Ossian Furniture to allow the main entrance to align with Davis Road.
“We’re several million dollars into it without developing a single lot,” Kline added.
“We’re hoping to apply for READI (Regional Economic Acceleration and Development Initiative)funds to help the development happen,” he added.
In order to qualify for the state grant funds that Kline was talking about he said the town needs to “come up with something and the town really doesn’t have much in its bucket.” A residential TIF, Kline believes, will be a good faith effort by the town council to show that it supports the development.
Kline said that in this case, any housing project TIF has to meet the “but for” test, which he defined as “But for this TIF, this development will not happen,” Kline said.
What Kline was specifically requesting Monday night was the council’s ascent to begin the necessary legal steps toward creating a declaratory resolution that is the first step toward facilitating a residential TIF. The resolution would also include potential apartment-type housing in the 100 block of North Jefferson Street on the west side of the road between the south side of the Heyerly Bakery property and Craig Street.
At a special meeting of the council Oct. 24, the council members will be requested to approve the declaratory resolution, which will in turn be presented to the Wells County Area Plan Commission for approval on Nov. 3. It will then return to the council for formal adoption of the TIF district at the council’s Nov. 14 meeting.
The Regional Development Authority meets the following day and if the town can show that it has approved the TIF, the TIF may be used as a match component for a READI grant, Kline said.
Gene Donaghy, who sits on both the Ossian Redevelopment Commission and the Northeast Indiana Regional Development Authority, pointed out that Ossian is not the first community to use TIF as its match for READI grant funds. Avilla has also done the same and last Monday received a READI grant.
He added that one of the goals of READI grants is to grow employment and one way to attract employers is to show a community has the housing available for an employer’s employees.
Kline stressed that Monday night he was not asking for a vote on anything — just a blessing to proceed in drafting the declaratory resolution.
He got it — but not without some questions. Council and commission member Brad Pursley wanted to ensure that this wasn’t just giving a developer an “open check.” Kline assured that was not the case.
That being the only business to come before the commission, that portion of the meeting was closed and the town council meeting was convened.
The town council members received from Wells County Area Plan Commission Director Mike Lautzenheiser the final draft of APC’s Vision 2035 plan. He asked the council members if they had any questions.
They had several.
Council member Jeff Kemper noted that the wording of the plan was changed so that there was no mention of a bypass around Ossian as in some of the earlier drafts of the plan.
However, he observed, there was still a transportation component to the plan that mentioned connecting Bluffton to “an interstate” with a four-lane highway. Pursley pointed out that Ossian was not mentioned at all and questioned why the transportation component of the plan did not mention connecting Ossian with a four-lane highway.
Kemper also had some questions about solar farm development. He wanted to read the plan through before giving it approval. His fellow council members either agreed to or did not object to Kemper’s request and adopting Vision 2035 was delayed to a future meeting.
Kemper did tell Lautzenheiser that there were other components to the plan that he approved of, but he wanted to take time to read the multi-page final draft.
The council members also:
• Learned from Ossian Revitalization member Jim Brewer that Ossian’s Hometown Christmas will be held from 5 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 1, with the new title being Hometown Christmas Holiday Marketplace. The revised festival will include participation by Ossian businesses that are not in the downtown area and will feature a tent on Craig Street similar to the one set up for Ossian Days for merchant displays and participation. Helen Witte’s chili will also be served at the tent.
• Learned from Police Commissioner President Caleb Chichester that three of the five applicants for the two open patrolman positions on the Ossian Police Department passed their initial testing this past Saturday. Those three will advance forward to the interview process. Two of the three are already academy certified and will not require training. Chichester also informed the council that two applications have been received for the Police Chief’s position, which will be vacant upon Chief Dave Rigney’s retirement this year.
• Approved spending an amount not to exceed $46,505 for six body cameras, two in-car cameras and updated equipment for the interview room — all for the police department. Motorola of Fort Wayne is the merchant for the equipment. The amount is the exact amount Motorola is requesting for the equipment but that included annual payments. Council president Josh Barkley asked Ossian Police Sgt. Stephanie Tucker, who was in charge of searching out a vendor for the equipment, to find out if Motorola will give the town a discount if it makes the entire payment up front. Tucker agreed to look into that and that’s why the council made the vote a not to exceed amount, even though the amount is an exact amount.
• Approved paying Engineering Resources, the town’s contracted engineer, $66,500 to perform an engineering study and report, facilitate a potential application to the Indiana Finance Authority for State Revolving Fund wastewater funding, and create an asset management plan, all for proposed upgrades to the town’s wastewater management system. The council also agreed to pay the town’s contracted accounting firm of Baker-Tilly $16,500 to perform the asset planning services for the proposed improvements to the wastewater system.
• Approved paying ER $44,000 for a field investigation, preliminary design, electrical engineering, final design and permitting, bidding and contract administration for replacement of the wastewater treatment plant’s corroding bar screen and washer/compactor.
• Adopted an amendment to the 2022 salary ordinance reflecting the change in pay to part-time police officers from $30 to $35 and for the salaries of the position of part-time firefighter. Fire Chief Ben Fenstermaker informed the council that he had six firefighters express an interest in the newly-created position.
• Adopted ordinance 22-10-2 which permits the part-time firefighters to be paid out of the town’s Local Option Income Tax fund.
• Adopted Ordinance 22-9-1, which repeals the town’s water service user’s tax. The tax was originally required by either the state or federal government — Town Manager Luann Martin couldn’t recall Monday night which it was — and the town passed it on to the customer. The tax was eliminated, but in order for the town to remove it from customers’ water bills, an amendment to the ordinance had to be passed.
• Adopted a resolution accepting a gift transfer of real estate from Northern Wells Community Schools of 1.16 acres to the town. The real estate includes the land upon which one of Ossian’s water wells is located, the left field of the Minor League baseball diamond and a long narrow strip of Archbold-Wilson Memorial Park extending from the walking path connecting the Ossian Elementary School and the Lenny Gerber Walking Trail sou the to 900N.
• Approved of applying for an excess levy appeal. Due to the Ossian’s growth in assessed values from 2019 to 2022, the town has qualified for a three-year growth levy appeal. If it is approved by the Department of Local Government Finance, the town will receive a permanent increase to the maximum amount it may levy in property taxes. The amount has been calculated by Baker-Tilly at $13,056.
• Adopted the 2023 budget and approved of sending it to the DLGF for review and final approval.
At the conclusion of Monday’s meeting, Barkley stated he wished to squelch rumors around town that he favors either limiting or eliminating the town’s police department. He pointed out that the council has unanimously approved of proceeding with the process to hire a new chief, has adopted a pay matrix for officers and has increased the salary of part-time officers. He stressed that neither he nor anyone on the town council has ever been in favor of eliminating the police department and resents anyone spreading that misinformation.
“It’s false and disheartening that people are passing that around town,” Barkley said.
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