H. B. 2827
(By Mr. Speaker, Mr. Kiss)
[Introduced
March 2, 2005
; referred to the
Committee on Political Subdivisions then Finance.]
A BILL to amend and reenact §7-11B-7 and §7-11B-8
of the Code of
West Virginia, 1931, as amended, all relating to providing for
the approval of county commissions for the development or
redevelopment tax financing districts
by Class I and Class II
municipalities.
Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:
That §7-11B-7 and §7-11B-8
of the Code of West Virginia, 1931,
as amended, be amended and reenacted, all to read as follows:
ARTICLE 11B. WEST VIRGINIA TAX INCREMENT FINANCING ACT.
§7-11B-7. Creation of a development or redevelopment or district.
(a) County commissions and the governing bodies of Class I and
II municipalities with approval therefor by the county commission
of the county in which the major portion of the Class I or Class II
municipality is located may upon their own initiative or upon
application of an agency or a developer, may propose creation of a
development or redevelopment district and designate the boundaries
of the district: Provided, That a district may not include noncontiguous land.
(b) The county commission or municipality proposing creation
of a development or redevelopment district shall then hold a public
hearing at which interested parties are afforded a reasonable
opportunity to express their views on the proposed creation of a
development or redevelopment district and its proposed boundaries.
(1) Notice of the hearing shall be published as a Class II
legal advertisement in accordance with section two, article three,
chapter fifty-nine of this code.
(2) The notice shall include the time, place and purpose of
the public hearing, describe in sufficient detail the tax increment
financing plan, the proposed boundaries of the development or
redevelopment district and, when a development or redevelopment
project plan is being proposed, the proposed tax increment
financing obligations to be issued to finance the development or
redevelopment project costs.
(3) Prior to the first day of publication, a copy of the
notice shall be sent by first-class mail to the director of the
development office and to the chief executive officer of all other
local levying bodies having the power to levy taxes on real and
tangible personal property located within the proposed development
or redevelopment district.
(4) All parties who appear at the hearing shall be afforded an
opportunity to express their views on the proposal to create the
development or redevelopment district and, if applicable, the
development or redevelopment project plan and proposed tax increment financing obligations.
(c) After the public hearing, the county commission, or the
governing body of the municipality, shall finalize the boundaries
of the development or redevelopment district, the development or
redevelopment project plan, or both, and submit the same to the
director of the development office for his or her review and
approval. The director, within sixty days after receipt of the
application, shall approve the application as submitted, reject the
application or return the application to the county commission or
governing body of the municipality for further development or
review in accordance with instructions of the director of the
development office. A development or redevelopment district or
development or redevelopment project plan may not be adopted by the
county commission or the governing body of a municipality until
after it has been approved by the executive director of the
development office.
(d) Upon approval of the application by the development
office, the county commission may enter an order and the governing
body of the municipality proposing the district or development or
redevelopment project plan with the approval of the county
commission may adopt an ordinance, that:
(1) Describes the boundaries of a development or redevelopment
district sufficiently to identify with ordinary and reasonable
certainty the territory included in the district, which boundaries
shall create a contiguous district;
(2) Creates the development or redevelopment district as of a date provided in the order or ordinance;
(3) Assigns a name to the development or redevelopment
district for identification purposes.
(A) The name may include a geographic or other designation,
shall identify the county or municipality authorizing the district
and shall be assigned a number, beginning with the number one.
(B) Each subsequently created district in the county or
municipality shall be assigned the next consecutive number;
(4) Contains findings that the real property within the
development or redevelopment district will be benefitted by
eliminating or preventing the development or spread of slums or
blighted, deteriorated or deteriorating areas, discouraging the
loss of commerce, industry or employment, increasing employment or
any combination thereof;
(5) Approves the development or redevelopment project plan, if
applicable;
(6) Establishes a tax increment financing fund as a separate
fund into which all tax increment revenues and other revenues
designated by the county commission, or governing body of the
municipality, for the benefit of the development or redevelopment
district shall be deposited, and from which all project costs shall
be paid, which may be assigned to and held by a trustee for the
benefit of bondholders if tax increment financing obligations are
issued by the county commission or the governing body of the
municipality; and
(7) Provides that ad valorem property taxes on real and tangible personal property having a tax situs in the development or
redevelopment district shall be assessed, collected and allocated
in the following manner, commencing upon the date of adoption of
such order or ordinance and continuing for so long as any tax
increment financing obligations are payable from the tax increment
financing fund, hereinafter authorized, are outstanding and unpaid:
(A) For each tax year, the county assessor shall record in the
land and personal property books both the base assessed value and
the current assessed value of the real and tangible personal
property having a tax situs in the development or redevelopment
district;
(B) Ad valorem taxes collected from regular levies upon real
and tangible personal property having a tax situs in the district
that are attributable to the lower of the base assessed value or
the current assessed value of real and tangible personal property
located in the development project area shall be allocated to the
levying bodies in the same manner as applicable to the tax year in
which the development or redevelopment project plan is adopted by
order of the county commission or by ordinance adopted by the
governing body of the municipality;
(C) The tax increment with respect to real and tangible
personal property in the development or redevelopment district
shall be allocated and paid into the tax increment financing fund
and shall be used to pay the principal of and interest on tax
increment financing obligations issued to finance the costs of the
development or redevelopment projects in the development or redevelopment district. Any levying body having a development or
redevelopment district within its taxing jurisdiction shall not
receive any portion of the annual tax increment except as otherwise
provided in this article; and
(D) In no event shall the tax increment include any taxes
collected from excess levies, levies for general obligation bonded
indebtedness or any levies other than the regular levies provided
for in article eight, chapter eleven of this code.
(e) Proceeds from tax increment financing obligations issued
under this article may only be used to pay for costs of development
and redevelopment projects to foster economic development in the
development or redevelopment district or land contiguous thereto.
(f) Notwithstanding subsection (e) of this section, a county
commission may not enter an order approving a development or
redevelopment project plan unless the county commission expressly
finds and states in the order that the development or redevelopment
project is not reasonably expected to occur without the use of tax
increment financing.
(g) Notwithstanding subsection (e) of this section, the
governing body of a municipality may not adopt an ordinance
approving a development or redevelopment project plan unless the
governing body expressly finds and states in the ordinance that the
development or redevelopment project is not reasonably expected to
occur without the use of tax increment financing.
(h) No county commission shall establish a development or
redevelopment district any portion of which is within the boundaries of a Class I, II, III or IV municipality without the
formal consent of the governing body of such municipality and no
Class I or Class II municipality shall establish a development or
redevelopment district in a county without the formal consent of
the county commission.
(i) A tax increment financing plan that has been approved by
a county commission or the governing body of a municipality with
approval therefor by the county commission of the county in which
the major portion of the Class I or Class II municipality is
located may be amended by following the procedures set forth in
this article for adoption of a new development or redevelopment
project plan.
(j) The county commission may modify the boundaries of the
development or redevelopment district, from time to time, by entry
of an order modifying the order creating the development or
redevelopment district.
(k) The governing body of a municipality with approval
therefor by the county commission of the county in which the major
portion of the Class I or Class II municipality is located may
modify the boundaries of the development or redevelopment district,
from time to time, by amending the ordinance establishing the
boundaries of the district.
(l) Before a county commission or the governing body of a
municipality may amend such an order or ordinance, the county
commission or municipality shall give the public notice, hold a
public hearing and obtain the approval of the director of the development office, following the procedures for establishing a new
development or redevelopment district. In the event any tax
increment financing obligations are outstanding with respect to the
development or redevelopment district, any change in the boundaries
shall not reduce the amount of tax increment available to secure
the outstanding tax increment financing obligations.
§7-11B-8. Project plan - approval.
(a) The county commission or municipality with approval
therefor by the county commission of the county in which the major
portion of the Class I or Class II municipality is located creating
the district shall cause the preparation of a project plan for each
development or redevelopment district and the project plan shall be
adopted by order of the county commission, or ordinance adopted by
the governing body of the municipality and approved by the county
commission, after it is approved by the executive director of the
development office. This process shall conform to the procedures
set forth in this section.
(b) Each project plan shall include:
(1) A statement listing the kind, number and location of all
proposed public works or other improvements within the district and
on land outside but contiguous to the district;
(2) A cost-benefit analysis showing the economic impact of the
plan on each levying body that is at least partially within the
boundaries of the development or redevelopment district. This
analysis shall show the impact on the economy if the project is not
built and is built pursuant to the development or redevelopment plan under consideration. The cost-benefit analysis shall include
a fiscal impact study on every affected levying body and sufficient
information from the developer for the agency, if any proposing the
plan, the county commission be asked to approve the project and the
development office to evaluate whether the project as proposed is
financially feasible;
(3) An economic feasibility study;
(4) A detailed list of estimated project costs;
(5) A description of the methods of financing all estimated
project costs, including the issuance of tax increment obligations
and the time when the costs or monetary obligations related thereto
are to be incurred;
(6) A certification by the county assessor of the base
assessed value of real and tangible personal property having a tax
situs in a development or redevelopment district: Provided, That
if such certification is made during the months of January or
February of each year, the county assessor may certify an estimated
base assessed value of real and tangible personal property having
a tax situs in a development or redevelopment district: Provided,
however, That prior to issuance of tax increment obligations, the
county assessor shall certify a final base assessed value for the
estimated base assessed value permitted by this section;
(7) The type and amount of any other revenues that are
expected to be deposited to the tax increment financing fund of the
development or redevelopment district;
(8) A map showing existing uses and conditions of real property in the development or redevelopment district;
(9) A map of proposed improvements and uses in the district;
(10) Proposed changes of zoning ordinances, if any;
(11) Appropriate cross-references to any master plan, map,
building codes and municipal ordinances or county commission orders
affected by the project plan;
(12) A list of estimated nonproject costs;
(13) A statement of the proposed method for the relocation of
any persons, businesses or organizations to be displaced;
(14) A certificate from the Executive Director of the Workers'
Compensation Commission, the Commissioner of the Bureau of
Employment Programs and the State Tax Commissioner that the project
developer is in good standing with the Workers' Compensation
Commission, the Bureau of Employment Programs and the State Tax
Division; and
(15) A certificate from the sheriff of the county or counties
in which the development or redevelopment district is located that
the project developer is not delinquent on payment of any real and
personal property taxes in such county.
(c) If the project plan is to include tax increment financing,
the tax increment financing portion of the plan shall set forth:
(1) The amount of indebtedness to be incurred pursuant to this
article;
(2) An estimate of the tax increment to be generated as a
result of the project;
(3) The method for calculating the tax increment, which shall be in conformance with the provisions of this article, together
with any provision for adjustment of the method of calculation;
(4) Any other revenues, such as payment in lieu of tax
revenues, to be used to secure the tax increment financing; and
(5) Any other provisions as may be deemed necessary in order
to carry out any tax increment financing to be used for the
development or redevelopment project.
(d) If less than all of the tax increment is to be used to
fund a development or redevelopment project or to pay project costs
or retire tax increment financing, the project plan shall set forth
the portion of the tax increment to be deposited in the tax
increment financing fund of the development or redevelopment
district and provide for the distribution of the remaining portion
of the tax increment to the levying bodies in whose jurisdiction
the district lies.
(e) The county commission or governing body of the
municipality that established the tax increment financing fund
shall hold a public hearing at which interested parties shall be
afforded a reasonable opportunity to express their views on the
proposed project plan being considered by the county commission or
the governing body of the municipality.
(1) Notice of the hearing shall be published as a Class II
legal advertisement in accordance with section two, article three,
chapter fifty-nine of this code.
(2) Prior to this publication, a copy of the notice shall be
sent by first-class mail to the chief executive officer of all other levying bodies having the power to levy taxes on property
located within the proposed development or redevelopment district.
(f) Approval by the county commission or the governing body of
a municipality of an initial development or redevelopment project
plan must be within one year after the date of the county
assessor's certification required by subdivision (6), subsection
(b) of this section: Provided, That additional development or
redevelopment project plans may be approved by the county
commission or the governing body of a municipality in subsequent
years, so long as the development or redevelopment district
continues to exist. The approval shall be by order of the county
commission or ordinance of the municipality, which shall contain a
finding that the plan is economically feasible.
NOTE: The purpose of this bill is to provide for the approval
of the county commission of Class I and Class II Municipal
development or redevelopment tax financing districts.
Strike-throughs indicate language that would be stricken from
the present law, and underscoring indicates new language that would
be added.