Residents press Sellersburg council on redevelopment commission transparency and use of TIF dollars

A lengthy public exchange at the Town of Sellersburg’s Dec. 15 meeting focused on how redevelopment commission decisions are made, what public access exists to those meetings and how tax increment financing (TIF) dollars and property transfers are handled.

Resident Troy Pierce asked directly how a member of the public would appeal or be heard by the redevelopment commission. “How do you appeal to the redevelopment commission?” Pierce asked during the public-comment portion. Several residents and council members said they were concerned that redevelopment meetings are often administrative and sometimes lack an avenue for public comment.

Town attorney Jake and other staff responded that redevelopment commissions and similar entities operate under state statute and typically have defined, limited duties. Jake said the council can add items to a future meeting agenda or ask the redevelopment commission to include public comment, and recommended that anyone wanting council-level attention bring an item to a council meeting where discussion is on the record: “If you want to have it on January’s meeting, you add it as a line item and then you can ask…,” Jake explained.

Staff and council members also clarified how TIF revenues are generated and spent. Town staff explained that most TIF money in the district comes from commercial improvements — citing the Silver Creek logistics development as an example — and that TIF dollars are not the same as general-resident property tax dollars. Staff cautioned that while the redevelopment commission can recommend and sometimes act on projects, the council typically issues direction and certain transfers of property or approvals require council action.

Residents raised concern that the redevelopment commission can authorize expenditures involving significant sums without public comment at the commission meeting, and asked whether decisions on property transfer would be made in public. Staff told the audience the transfer process includes resolutions adopted by both bodies on matching terms and that final action is a public record when it comes back to the council. Council members encouraged residents to present concerns to their council representatives and to request agenda items if they want council deliberation recorded.

The discussion clarified statutory limits and paths for public engagement but left some residents unsatisfied about the practical accessibility of redevelopment proceedings; staff said they will provide statutory guidance and contact information for commission members to residents who requested it.