City Of Neligh Considers TIF For 12-Unit Housing Complex

A 12-unit housing complex will be built near Highway 14 if the City of Neligh approves tax increment funding for the project.

The Neligh City Council set a 6 p.m. Tuesday, July 19, public hearing for the Neligh Independent Living's TIF application by the Meuret family. The project is seeking $335,000 in assistance to build a new $1,753,225 independent living complex. 

The proposed project will be located between the Cowboy Trail and The Willow’s Assisted Living. Although near it, this project is not associated with The Willows.

Economic Development Director Greg Ptacek said granting the TIF would help fund sewer lines and street drainage, meaning the residents would not have to pay for the street improvements.

"That's one of the reasons the TIF was put into place. So the house on the corner and the houses that are getting the benefit from the the development, are not having to pay for that development," he said.

The Neligh Independent Living application was one of two TIF projects discussed at the meeting. Also on the agenda was a $47,360 application from Joe Funk and BethAnn Funk for assistance with a potential duplex project. That pubic hearing was also set for July 19. 

TIF is not a grant; the money will be paid back with interest. It's also not money that comes from other tax payers. If the funding is approved, the money being lent is from the property taxes from that specific land. Basically, the money would not even be available if not for the improvements being made. 

Other hearings that were set for the same night are for a Street Improvement District and the Downtown Revitalization Plan. 

Discussion on creating a Street Improvement District was also talked about regarding potential improvements on Wylie Drive. 

City Engineer John Zwingman said that it is the semi-trucks traveling on that road that is hurting it.

"Our roads were not built to handle the amount of weight of the trucks," Zwingman said. "No one could have predicted that."

Mayor Joe Hartz said that stopping that traffic is the difficult part. 

"You want to share your roads," Hartz said. "But on the other hand who is going to pay for it?"

That lead to the council setting a public hearing date for July 19, at 7 p.m.

Later in the meeting, the City of Neligh approved a $2,000 donation to the Neligh Young Men's Club for their Fourth of July Fireworks Show and accepted the Library report, Economic Development report, Citizens Advisory Review Committee, May police report, City Superintendent's report and the electric operations report.

The next meeting is on July 19th starting at 6 p.m. with the multiple public hearings slated to begin immediately.