Porter County commission may finally get a purpose, some powers

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Updated: March 24, 2012 9:01AM

VALPARAISO — The Porter County Redevelopment Commission may soon have a mission, as well as some authority.

As it stands now, the commission, created three years ago, serves as an adviser to the Porter County Board of Commissioners, making recommendations on federal grants that may be helpful to the county — and that’s about it.

The Porter County Redevelopment Commission stands alone in the state in that it lacks the statutory powers to recommend tax increment financing districts, or take up other matters, said John Shepherd, the commission’s director, at Tuesday’s commissioners meeting.

“We have no credibility,” he said.

That’s about to change. At an upcoming meeting, the commissioners will hold a public hearing on the Redevelopment Commission. If the public agrees, the commissioners will rescind the ordinance that created the advisory Redevelopment Commission and will pass an ordinance creating a new commission with some teeth.

“They don’t have a mission statement. They don’t know what their mission is,” Bob Thompson, executive director of the county Plan Commission, said of the Redevelopment Commission as it now stands.

That’s something that would change with a new commission.

The new commission also would likely be scaled back from seven members to five, still appointed by the commissioners and the Porter County Council and still including representatives from local school districts, Thompson said.

The new redevelopment commission would not have the authority to impose taxes, said Commissioners President John Evans, R-North.

“The redevelopment commission can have a statutory authority that’s vested to them by the state, but this one’s mission is not clear,” he said, adding a commission with authority “can really be a big asset to the county.”

Even if the newly formed redevelopment commission came up with a TIF district, Evans said, it would have to go before the Plan Commission and then the Board of Commissioners for approval.