| State |
Passes
the laws that give local governments the authority
to create TIFs.
Strengths: All cities and towns must
comply with changes to the State law.
Weaknesses: Winning changes to the
State law can be slow and time-consuming. |
Collects
information on every TIF in the State.
In general, the State's power over individual
TIFs is limited to passing legislation that
affects all districts. However, the recent TIF
reform law requires municipalities to submit
data on their TIFs to the Comptroller's office.
This could allow the State to become a "whistleblower"
on TIF abuses. |
| County |
Assesses property value,
collects taxes, and administers property tax
relief programs.
County government has virtually no say over
whether TIFs are created or how the money is
spent. Because the County is in charge of the
property tax system, however, it does have some
authority over who gets tax relief in a TIF.
Case-By-Case: Taxpayers can appeal
their property tax bills to the Assessor
Policy Reform: The Assessor can develop
systematic tax relief proposals that must be
reviewed and approved by the County Board. |
Collects detailed information
on property taxes and TIF performance.
Like the State, the County is a gold mine of
information about how well TIFs are working
and what is happening to property values within
each TIF. |
| Local |
Department
of Planning & Development Staff/City Consultants:
Drafts the eligibility study and redevelopment
plan, performs the housing impact study, negotiates
subsidies with private developers, manages project
budget.
Community Development Commission/Chicago
Plan Commission:
Must review TIF proposals and submit them to
the City Council with a positive or negative
recommendation.
Individual Aldermen:
Except for their role as a voting member of
the City Council, the individual Alderman has
no formal powers under the TIF law.
City Council:
Each TIF plan, redevelopment agreement, or
amendment must pass through the City Council
Finance Committee and the full Council. On a
broader level, the City Council can pass into
law TIF policies and procedures that go beyond
the requirements of the State law, as long as
they don't contradict it.
Mayor:
The Mayor can sign or veto TIF proposals that
pass through the City Council, and can issue
"executive orders" that guide DPD in implementing
the TIF program. These executive orders are
not as strong as legislation that passes the
City Council, and do not outlast the tenure
of the Mayor who issued them. |
Department
of Planning & Development Staff/City Consultants:
Because DPD manages additional public hearings,
it often controls who knows about the formation
of the TIF or which TIF-funded deals may be
in the pipeline, and controls access to the
planning and budgeting process.
Community Development Commission/Chicago
Plan Commission:
While these bodies rarely say no to a proposal,
they do preside over the formal public hearings
on TIF redevelopment plans, subsidies, property
acquisition, and land use. They can shape a
proposal by asking DPD and developers tough
questions based on their own concerns or public
testimony.
Individual Aldermen:
It is well-known that City Hall and the City
Council is unlikely to establish a TIF or approve
a TIF subsidy unless the Alderman supports the
project. This gives the individual Alderman
a significant role in both the creation
and implementation processes.
City Council:
The City Council as a whole has not developed
significant informal powers on the TIF issue.
Mayor:
In Chicago's current political climate, the
Mayor's preference and priorities have a strong
influence over the actions of City Council Members,
appointed bodies like the CDC, private developers,
and other governmental bodies. The Planning
Commissioner (Alicia Mazur Berg) is the Mayor's
eyes and ears on TIF issues. |
| Other |
Courts:
Occasionally, courts will get involved when
there is a public challenge to the municipality's
adherence to the State law.
Other Taxing Bodies (Schools,
Parks, etc.):
All affected taxing bodies in a TIF sit on
a Joint Review Board which reviews each proposed
TIF, though the JRB rarely acts to try to block
a TIF. If the JRB recommends rejecting a TIF,
the municipality has 30 days to work out its
differences with the JRB and resubmit an amended
plan. If the JRB still disapproves of the TIF,
the municipality may still proceed, but it needs
a 60 percent vote of the City Council in order
to approve the TIF. The JRB does not have significant
policy-making authority.
Other taxing bodies can also lobby the municipality
for access to TIF dollars in the form of capital
improvements, much like a private developer.
Developers/Businesses:
Developers have no formal power under the TIF
law. |
Courts:
The threat of a high-profile lawsuit may help
keep municipalities in compliance with the TIF
laws.
Other Taxing Bodies:
Some public officials may have an "inside track"
in winning TIF-funded improvements (such as
school repairs or park improvements), though
that has not occurred much yet in Chicago.
Developers/Businesses:
Developers and businesses often can make powerful
promises (jobs, economic development, etc.)
to help gain support for TIF subsidies, as well
as the ever-present promise of campaign contributions
and other political support. |
