Penobscot County sets March 4 hearing, authorizes staff to draft Hammond Ridge TIF and credit agreement
February 05, 2026 | Penobscot County, Maine
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The Penobscot County Commission on an unspecified date authorized staff to draft a tax-increment financing development program and a credit enhancement agreement for the proposed Hammond Ridge Development in the county’s unorganized territory, and set a public hearing for March 4.
County legal counsel Steven Wagner summarized the tool and next steps, telling commissioners that the proposal would ask the county to enact a TIF in part of the unorganized territory and that a public hearing would present the development program and projects tied to the district. Wagner said the developer would also propose a credit-enhancement agreement describing how incremental tax revenues would be shared.
John Paul, attorney for the developer, said the project team was requesting a set public-hearing date so the proposed tax-increment financing district could be presented to the public and refined: "That is our specific request today so that we can continue our dialogue and work with the county staff to have that ready," he said.
The commission also approved an agreement allowing the administrator to sign a professional-fees contract under which the developer would cover the county’s outside professional fees associated with reviewing the proposal, up to $25,000 regardless of approval. The motion to authorize staff to prepare the draft TIF and the professional-fees agreement was moved, seconded and recorded as approved by the commission.
Commissioners voted to schedule the public hearing for March 4 at approximately 11:30 a.m. with a virtual component. The county will circulate a letter asking the Department of Economic and Community Development (DECD) to extend the TIF application deadline from the current March 1 to March 31; the commission voted to approve the letter and circulate it for signatures.
What happens next: staff will prepare the draft TIF development program and the proposed credit-enhancement agreement for public presentation at the March 4 hearing. The DECD extension request will be sent to permit the hearing and any subsequent application work to proceed.
Details from the record: the professional-fees agreement limit of $25,000 was stated on the record; the commission did not record a roll-call tally beyond stating the motions were approved. The transcript does not include the meeting date.
County legal counsel Steven Wagner summarized the tool and next steps, telling commissioners that the proposal would ask the county to enact a TIF in part of the unorganized territory and that a public hearing would present the development program and projects tied to the district. Wagner said the developer would also propose a credit-enhancement agreement describing how incremental tax revenues would be shared.
John Paul, attorney for the developer, said the project team was requesting a set public-hearing date so the proposed tax-increment financing district could be presented to the public and refined: "That is our specific request today so that we can continue our dialogue and work with the county staff to have that ready," he said.
The commission also approved an agreement allowing the administrator to sign a professional-fees contract under which the developer would cover the county’s outside professional fees associated with reviewing the proposal, up to $25,000 regardless of approval. The motion to authorize staff to prepare the draft TIF and the professional-fees agreement was moved, seconded and recorded as approved by the commission.
Commissioners voted to schedule the public hearing for March 4 at approximately 11:30 a.m. with a virtual component. The county will circulate a letter asking the Department of Economic and Community Development (DECD) to extend the TIF application deadline from the current March 1 to March 31; the commission voted to approve the letter and circulate it for signatures.
What happens next: staff will prepare the draft TIF development program and the proposed credit-enhancement agreement for public presentation at the March 4 hearing. The DECD extension request will be sent to permit the hearing and any subsequent application work to proceed.
Details from the record: the professional-fees agreement limit of $25,000 was stated on the record; the commission did not record a roll-call tally beyond stating the motions were approved. The transcript does not include the meeting date.
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