TIF

Government efforts to address the Bloomington-Normal housing shortage are a work in progress. Every little effort to make it more attractive to develop helps.

The District 87 school board heard a lengthy presentation Wednesday from the architectural firm managing the remodeling of the Oakland Avenue building acquired to expand early childhood education programming. The board also approved a new contract with the teachers’ union and an intergovernmental agreement with the City of Bloomington regarding the downtown TIF project.

One of the wrinkles in the downtown Bloomington Tax Increment Financing District the city council has just created is that if it doesn't perform, half the property tax money generated will go back to taxing bodies like Bloomington schools.

A third candidate has entered the race for mayor of Bloomington. Ward 6 Council member Cody Hendricks made his announcement at the electrical workers union hall on Tuesday. He joins current Mayor Mboka Mwilambwe and former State Rep. Dan Brady in the race.

The mayor of Bloomington won't yet say whether District 87 schools will get a cut of potential revenue created by the proposed tax increment financing district, or TIF, for the downtown area.

The Bloomington City Council held a public hearing Monday concerning the proposed new Tax Increment Finance district concentrated around the downtown area. A TIF district diverts any new taxes generated by an increase in property values back into redevelopment of the area.

The District 87 school board on Wednesday discussed the district’s amended annual budget, as well as the budgets for vocational training programs, while superintendent David Mouser expressed some concerns about the proposed TIF district for downtown Bloomington.

The Bloomington City Council heard reports Monday on the affordable housing situation in McLean County, and on progress being made in the first phase of the downtown streetscape plan the council approved last month.

The City of Bloomington held a public meeting Monday evening on a proposed Tax Increment Financing (TIF) Redevelopment Plan for the downtown area. The proposal would create a new TIF district in the downtown area.

The proposed budget for the Town of Normal is $138 million next year and an estimated $711 million over a five-year period.Town council members got their…