by Phil Conger
The Bethany TIF District Board Wednesday night approved a preliminary plan for infrastructure and street improvements south of Miller Street in the South TIF District.
The TIF Board held a 90-minute meeting at City Hall with representatives of the county and South Harrison school district in attendance.
Ron Urton, an engineer for Howe Company LLC of Macon, Mo., presented a preliminary drawing for the construction of 30th Street adjoining John Deere that would curve east to connect with an extension of 38th Street, south of Walmart.
Construction of the streets would open up hundreds of acres for development between Miller Street and Countryside East.
Since the project will connect two streets, City Administrator Jan Hagler said, “It will not be a road to nowhere.”
Jeremy VanMeter, TIF board member who supported the plan, said the street and infrastructure projects envisioned under the plan “leaves multiple locations for development.”
Approval of the preliminary plan would allow the engineer to move ahead with a topographic study and a design for the project. The engineering work, which will cost up to $153,943, will be contingent upon gaining approval from the affected property owners. The City Council will also have to approve the plan.
Urton provided the TIF Board with a budgetary estimate that the sanitary sewer, storm sewer and street improvements would cost about $1.5 million. The TIF fund currently has $1.4 million on deposit with more money coming in until the completion of the project in 2017.
The funding represents a portion of tax revenue collected from the property owners in the South TIF District.
C.F. Rainey, president of the South Harrison Board of Education, said a state statute requires that a commission representing taxing agencies affected by the TIF District should be allowed to vote on the TIF plan and on expenditures for improvements. Rainey said the school district would have two representatives on the commission.
This issue wasn’t resolved during Wednesday night’s meeting.
The TIF Board then moved on to a discussion of the North TIF project to extend 39th Street from Bartlett Street to Bulldog Avenue. Callaway Farms has been preparing the roadbed for the new street that would open up land for development.
The TIF Board voted to reimburse Callaway for $5,689.43 for culverts and the city $23,883.27 that it has paid for additional culverts that have been installed in the road.
MoDOT has given the green light for Callaway to install a box culvert, inlets, curbs and gutters and a concrete ramp along the state right-of-way at the intersection with Bulldog Avenue.
Callaway will be performing the work with the expectation of reimbursement from the TIF District.
The TIF Board agreed to reimburse Callaway up to $140,000 for the work at the intersection as money becomes available. The North District will continue to receive tax revenue until 2023.