DDA creates two-member TAVA TIF committee to speed negotiations

The Woodland Park Downtown Development Authority voted Jan. 16 to create a two-member committee to serve as a liaison with staff and counsel during negotiations over a tax-increment financing agreement with the TAVA Group.

Josh, representing DDA staff, told the board the committee would "not be a committee that can make any kind of final approval on a TIF agreement" but would provide faster feedback to staff and permit the DDA to move more quickly toward a final draft for board consideration. "It would just really be a committee that said, you know, yeah, that that's basically the feeling that the... board overall has for moving forward with the TIF agreement," he said.

Board member Born moved to create the two-member "TAVA TIF Committee" as read by counsel; the motion was seconded and carried in a roll-call-style vote. Counsel and staff cautioned that expanding the panel to three or more members would trigger Colorado's Open Meetings Law requirements, undermining the committee’s intended speed. "If you go into 3 or more members, you are then now subject to the OML or the Colorado Open Meetings Law," staff said, urging the board to keep the group small to avoid required public notices and formal committee meetings.

After approving the committee, board members voted to authorize the chair to appoint two members from the existing board. Chair said he would appoint himself and George Jones to the committee and staff said they would provide the committee with the TAVA term sheet and related documents for review.

The committee’s role, as approved, is strictly advisory: it will receive offers or requests from the TAVA Group, advise staff on the board’s general sentiment, and help narrow drafts before formal DDA consideration. Any final decisions on a TIF agreement will remain with the full board.

The committee creation was the most substantive formal action taken at the meeting; staff said the term sheet will be provided to the appointed members and any final agreement will return to the full DDA for review and vote.