Amount of cash provided to developers by Wisconsin communities limited by Evers budget proposal

The amount of cash provided to commercial developers by Wisconsin communities would be limited under the new state budget proposal from Gov. Tony Evers.

While that wouldn`t stop local money flowing to such projects as Foxconn Technology Group`s factories, it could affect future developments in Milwaukee and other communities...

...It "would undo years of bipartisan work to create the most important, and really the only tool Wisconsin municipalities have to spur economic development and create jobs," said Jim Villa, chief executive officer of the Wisconsin chapter of NAIOP, formerly known as the National Association of Industrial and Office Properties...

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Ken Notes: Here is our chance to create a new BIPARTISAN veto proof TIF law that allows every community to invest in the projects they want, while leveling the playing field.

As Mayor of Neenah, an Alderman in Verona, as well as an ED professional I can attest to manipulating TIF laws to ones own advantage (legally by the way). Milwaukee, Madison, Waukesha, Green Bay, and many more have turned this into an art form while other communities are in the dark, some even TIF adverse. We need to simplify TIF, tie investments to signed development agreements, and use TIF to help growing businesses as well as new ones. Also the Governors limit of 20% is actually fairly generous.

The original intent of blight improvements and seeding infrastructure are still interesting ideas but have very little to do with how the laws are actually used.