I’m having a hard time reading between the lines here, did they seriously say the TIF Coordinator won’t answer questions except from the developer and policy makers after his report is out? What’s the mayor’s role in here in the first points? Can you say Cieslevistan?
CITY OF MADISON
INTER-DEPARTMENTAL
CORRESPONDENCEDate: March 28, 2011
To: All Alders, Michael May, City Attorney; Steven Colver, Director DPCED; Aaron Olver, Director EDD; Brad Murphy, Planning Director; Rob Phillips, City Engineer; Dave Dryer, Traffic Engineer; and, Bill Clingan, Director CD.
CC: Mario Mendoza, Office of the Mayor
From: Donald S. Marx, Manager, Office of Real Estate Services
Subject: TIF Coordinator Protocols
The TIF Coordinator provides a valuable and important service for the City by performing financial analyses of development projects applying for TIF financial assistance and making recommendations on the need and extent of such financial assistance. The TIF Coordinator is also responsible for the creation and amending of Tax Incremental Financing Districts (“TIDs”) which includes blight determination and project plans. At times individuals within and outside City Hall have interests in one or more development projects that have submitted loan applications to our office for TIF financial assistance. Occasionally, these interests can distract and impede the TIF Coordinator’s ability to complete the analysis in an objective and timely manner. To maintain the integrity of the TIF processes and better serve the committees, boards, commissions, common council and other public and private groups our office serves, the Office of Real Estate Services is implementing the following protocols, effective immediately:
1. To the extent reasonably possible, while the TIF Coordinator is analyzing a TIF loan application and/or performing the statutory requirements to create a TID, the TIF Coordinator will respond to inquiries by members of the public, alders, City managers and other City staff to the extent such communications are not intended to modify the TIF Coordinator’s analysis or recommendations.
2. To the extent City managers or City staff need information from the TIF Coordinator to complete work on a development project or alders need information to fulfill their obligation to represent constituents and/or developments proposing to come into their district, the TIF Coordinator will provide that information in a timely manner.
3. Any verbal communications, e-mails or telephone calls advocating modification to the TIF Coordinator’s analysis or recommendations will be directed to me. To ensure the integrity of this procedure, the TIF Coordinator will not contact or provide information (to the extent such information is not otherwise contained in the TIF Coordinator’s issued report on a particular project) to other parties which could be used by those other parties to promote, oppose or impede a particular development
4. Once the TIF Coordinator completes the TIF loan analysis or TID project plans and they are submitted to the Mayor, the TIF Coordinator’s role will be limited to assisting the policymakers and the developer. Such assistance will include, but will not be limited to, responding to questions seeking clarification of methodologies employed and conclusions reached by the TIF Coordinator, and the preparation of additional reports and documents. When asked to provide advice or guidance, the TIF Coordinator will objectively advise of the particular risks and benefits of providing TIF financial assistance to a development project and provide recommendations that achieve a reasonable level of risk associated with providing financial assistance for the project. At the direction of the Mayor and/or other supervisors of the TIF Coordinator, the TIF Coordinator may also be called upon to formally introduce appropriate resolutions (such as the TIF funding resolution) to the Common Council.
Any questions regarding the TIF Coordinator’s role should be directed to Don Marx at 267.8717 or dmarx@cityofmadison.com.
Ok, what’s this about? This sounds a little crazy.
Sure sounds like the TIF Coordinator is being directed to support developers and ignore other stakeholders (e.g. neighborhood residents): “Once the TIF Coordinator completes the TIF loan analysis or TID project plans and they are submitted to the Mayor, the TIF Coordinator’s role will be limited to assisting the policymakers and the developer.” I didn’t think that was the way we do things in Madison….or at least it didn’t used to be.
Really?
It sounds to me like they want the TIF Coordinator to objectively analyze each project without undue pressure from any group. Paragraph 1 states he will respond to inquiries from the public as long as they are not intended to change or modify his analysis. Paragraph 2 says he is supplying information to aid alders in responding to consitutents. Perhaps this is to let the TIF person do the analysis without politics. There is plenty of time for citizens, alders and developers to weigh in after an objective analysis. And why blame the Mayor? Maybe the person doing the job got tired of being pulled in all directions and wanted some peace. Sounds like personal opinions are skewing critical reading of the actual words.
That would be cool if that was really what happened, but how do you not respond when you are getting all kinds of pressure, from inside, from above and from outside city hall? I’m sure Gromacki is tired of being pulled in all kinds of directions, but I don’t think this memo will change anything.