SENATE
HOUSE
JOINT
BILL STATUS
STATE LAW
REPORTS
EDUCATIONAL
CONTACT
home
home
Introduced Version House Bill 2827 History

   |  Email
Key: Green = existing Code. Red = new code to be enacted
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.
This Web site is maintained by the West Virginia Legislature's Office of Reference & Information.  |  Terms of Use  |   Email WebmasterWebmaster   |   © 2024 West Virginia Legislature **


X

Print On Demand

Name:
Email:
Phone:

Print