Members of Milford Redevelopment Commission, from left, Charlotte Siegfried, Charlie Bird, Doug Ruch and President Dan Brown, voted to enter into a partnership with Kosciusko Community Economic Development Corporation, represented by CEO Alan Tio, right, to create a TIF district in Milford to promote workforce housing.

MILFORD — Milford Redevelopment Commission voted to work with Kosciusko County Economic Development Corporation to develop a strategy for improving workforce housing in Milford at its monthly meeting Monday, March 9. The partnership comes ahead of the rollout of a countywide housing strategy expected to be announced in mid-April, said Alan Tio, KEDCo CEO, who attended the March 9 meeting.

According to Tio, Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority is offering matching grants of $1 million to create a loan fund for predevelopment activities. The grant is being implemented through HPG Network, a Fort Wayne non-profit dedicated to the creation of public services.

Pre-development activities, said Tio, may include purchase options, environmental implications of sites, conceptual site plans, possible utility requirements, annexation issues, incentives and much more. KEDCo would assist Milford in identifying sites, structuring the deal and find finding appropriate developers.

Tio characterized the arrangement as a “public-private partnership structured upfront to everybody’s benefit to make the project more feasible.”

Dan Brown, Milford Redevelopment Commission president, expressed approval for KEDCo’s involvement, “rather than the town being at the mercy of the developer.”

“It puts us in the position of taking advantage of a comprehensive list of proposals from developers,” Brown added. “It puts us in better control of the outcome.”

Commission member Doug Ruch wondered how — in the event a housing TIF district was created — the TIF would be able to recapture tax dollars, in light of the fact typical mortgages of 30 years would extend beyond the 25-year lifespan of the TIF itself.

Tio conceded housing TIF districts do not generate as much revenue as industrial TIFs, commenting “You will be missing a couple zeroes.” However, he added, part of the “due diligence” of the predevelopment work would include maximizing TIF capture.

The commission also approved two expenditures related to housing TIFs: $2,585 was approved for work done by Carson LLP to help guide the town legally; $2,144.47 was approved for LWG CPAs and Advisors, which performed a pro forma scenario modeling the process from the time a house is built to its effect on the tax rolls.

The next meeting of the Milford Redevelopment Commission is scheduled for 10 a.m. April 13.