SENATE BILL No. 588

 

 

June 13, 2007, Introduced by Senator THOMAS and referred to the Committee on Economic Development and Regulatory Reform.

 

 

 

     A bill to amend 2005 PA 280, entitled

 

"Corridor improvement authority act,"

 

by amending sections 3, 5, 11, 17, and 18 (MCL 125.2873, 125.2875,

 

125.2881, 125.2887, and 125.2888) and by adding section 29.

 

THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT:

 

     Sec. 3. As used in this act:

 

     (a) "Operations" means office maintenance, including salaries

 

and expenses of employees, office supplies, consultation fees,

 

design costs, and other expenses incurred in the daily management

 

of the authority and planning of its activities.

 

     (b) "Parcel" means an identifiable unit of land that is

 

treated as separate for valuation or zoning purposes.

 

     (c) "Public facility" means a street, plaza, pedestrian mall,

 

and any improvements to a street, plaza, or pedestrian mall


 

including street furniture and beautification, sidewalk, trail,

 

lighting, traffic flow modification, park, parking facility,

 

recreational facility, right-of-way, structure, waterway, bridge,

 

lake, pond, canal, utility line or pipe, or building, including

 

access routes, that are either designed and dedicated to use by the

 

public generally , or used by a public agency, or that are located

 

in a qualified development area and are for the benefit of or for

 

the protection of the health, welfare, or safety of the public

 

generally, whether or not used by 1 or more business entities,

 

provided that any road, street, or bridge shall be continuously

 

open to public access and that other property shall be located in

 

public easements or rights-of-way and designed to accommodate

 

foreseeable development of public facilities in adjoining areas.

 

Public facility includes an improvement to a facility used by the

 

public or a public facility as those terms are defined in section 1

 

of 1966 PA 1, MCL 125.1351, if the improvement complies with the

 

barrier-free design requirements of the state construction code

 

promulgated under the Stille-DeRossett-Hale single state

 

construction code act, 1972 PA 230, MCL 125.1501 to 125.1531.

 

     (d) "Qualified development area" means a development area that

 

meets all of the following:

 

     (i) Is located within a city with a population of 700,000 or

 

more.

 

     (ii) Contains at least 30 contiguous acres.

 

     (iii) Was owned by this state on December 31, 2003 and was

 

conveyed to a private owner before June 30, 2004.

 

     (iv) Is zoned to allow for mixed use that includes commercial


 

use and that may include residential use.

 

     (v) Otherwise complies with the requirements of section 5(a),

 

(d), (e) and (g).

 

     (e) (d) "Specific local tax" means a tax levied under 1974 PA

 

198, MCL 207.551 to 207.572, the commercial redevelopment act, 1978

 

PA 255, MCL 207.651 to 207.668, the technology park development

 

act, 1984 PA 385, MCL 207.701 to 207.718, or 1953 PA 189, MCL

 

211.181 to 211.182. The initial assessed value or current assessed

 

value of property subject to a specific local tax shall be the

 

quotient of the specific local tax paid divided by the ad valorem

 

millage rate. The state tax commission shall prescribe the method

 

for calculating the initial assessed value and current assessed

 

value of property for which a specific local tax was paid in lieu

 

of a property tax.

 

     (f) (e) "State fiscal year" means the annual period commencing

 

October 1 of each year.

 

     (g) (f) "Tax increment revenues" means the amount of ad

 

valorem property taxes and specific local taxes attributable to the

 

application of the levy of all taxing jurisdictions upon the

 

captured assessed value of real and personal property in the

 

development area. Tax Except as otherwise provided in section 29,

 

tax increment revenues do not include any of the following:

 

     (i) Taxes under the state education tax act, 1993 PA 331, MCL

 

211.901 to 211.906.

 

     (ii) Taxes levied by local or intermediate school districts.

 

     (iii) Ad valorem property taxes attributable either to a portion

 

of the captured assessed value shared with taxing jurisdictions


 

within the jurisdictional area of the authority or to a portion of

 

value of property that may be excluded from captured assessed value

 

or specific local taxes attributable to the ad valorem property

 

taxes.

 

     (iv) Ad valorem property taxes excluded by the tax increment

 

financing plan of the authority from the determination of the

 

amount of tax increment revenues to be transmitted to the authority

 

or specific local taxes attributable to the ad valorem property

 

taxes.

 

     (v) Ad valorem property taxes exempted from capture under

 

section 18(5) or specific local taxes attributable to the ad

 

valorem property taxes.

 

     (vi) Ad valorem property taxes specifically levied for the

 

payment of principal and interest of obligations approved by the

 

electors or obligations pledging the unlimited taxing power of the

 

local governmental unit or specific taxes attributable to those ad

 

valorem property taxes.

 

     Sec. 5. A development area shall only be established in a

 

municipality and, except for a development area located in a

 

qualified development area, shall comply with all of the following

 

criteria:

 

     (a) Be adjacent to a road classified as an arterial or

 

collector according to the federal highway administration manual

 

"Highway Functional Classification - Concepts, Criteria and

 

Procedures".

 

     (b) Contain at least 10 contiguous parcels or at least 5

 

contiguous acres.


 

     (c) More than 1/2 of the existing ground floor square footage

 

in the development area is classified as commercial real property

 

under section 34c of the general property tax act, 1893 PA 206, MCL

 

211.34c.

 

     (d) Residential use, commercial use, or industrial use has

 

been allowed and conducted under the zoning ordinance or conducted

 

in the entire development area, for the immediately preceding 30

 

years.

 

     (e) Is presently served by municipal water and sewer.

 

     (f) Zoned to allow for mixed use that includes high-density

 

residential use.

 

     (g) The municipality agrees to all of the following:

 

     (i) To expedite the local permitting and inspection process in

 

the development area.

 

     (ii) To modify its master plan to provide for walkable

 

nonmotorized interconnections, including sidewalks and streetscapes

 

throughout the development area.

 

     Sec. 11. (1) The board may do any of the following:

 

     (a) Prepare an analysis of economic changes taking place in

 

the development area.

 

     (b) Study and analyze the impact of metropolitan growth upon

 

the development area.

 

     (c) Plan and propose the construction, renovation, repair,

 

remodeling, rehabilitation, restoration, preservation, or

 

reconstruction of a public facility, an existing building, or a

 

multiple-family dwelling unit which may be necessary or appropriate

 

to the execution of a plan which, in the opinion of the board, aids


 

in the economic growth of the development area.

 

     (d) Plan, propose, and implement an improvement to a public

 

facility within the development area to comply with the barrier

 

free design requirements of the state construction code promulgated

 

under the Stille-DeRossett-Hale single state construction code act,

 

1972 PA 230, MCL 125.1501 to 125.1531.

 

     (e) Develop long-range plans, in cooperation with the agency

 

that is chiefly responsible for planning in the municipality,

 

designed to halt the deterioration of property values in the

 

development area and to promote the economic growth of the

 

development area, and take steps as may be necessary to persuade

 

property owners to implement the plans to the fullest extent

 

possible.

 

     (f) Implement any plan of development in the development area

 

necessary to achieve the purposes of this act in accordance with

 

the powers of the authority granted by this act.

 

     (g) Make and enter into contracts necessary or incidental to

 

the exercise of its powers and the performance of its duties.

 

     (h) Acquire by purchase or otherwise, on On terms and

 

conditions and in a manner and for consideration the authority

 

considers proper or for no consideration, acquire by purchase or

 

otherwise, or own, convey, or otherwise dispose of, or lease as

 

lessor or lessee, land and other property, real or personal, or

 

rights or interests in the property, that the authority determines

 

is reasonably necessary to achieve the purposes of this act, and to

 

grant or acquire licenses, easements, and options.

 

     (i) Improve land and construct, reconstruct, rehabilitate,


 

restore and preserve, equip, improve, maintain, repair, and operate

 

any building, including multiple-family dwellings, and any

 

necessary or desirable appurtenances to those buildings, within the

 

development area for the use, in whole or in part, of any public or

 

private person or corporation, or a combination thereof.

 

     (j) Fix, charge, and collect fees, rents, and charges for the

 

use of any facility, building, or property under its control or any

 

part of the facility, building, or property, and pledge the fees,

 

rents, and charges for the payment of revenue bonds issued by the

 

authority.

 

     (k) Lease, in whole or in part, any facility, building, or

 

property under its control.

 

     (l) Accept grants and donations of property, labor, or other

 

things of value from a public or private source.

 

     (m) Acquire and construct public facilities.

 

     (n) Conduct market research and public relations campaigns,

 

develop, coordinate, and conduct retail and institutional

 

promotions, and sponsor special events and related activities.

 

     (o) Contract for broadband service and wireless technology

 

service in a development area.

 

     (2) Notwithstanding any other provision of this act, in a

 

qualified development area the board may, in addition to the powers

 

enumerated in subsection (1), do 1 or more of the following:

 

     (a) Perform any necessary or desirable site improvements to

 

the land, including, but not limited to, installation of temporary

 

or permanent utilities, temporary or permanent roads and driveways,

 

silt fences, perimeter construction fences, curbs and gutters,


 

sidewalks, pavement markings, water systems, gas distribution

 

lines, concrete, including, but not limited to, building pads,

 

storm drainage systems, sanitary sewer systems, parking lot paving

 

and light fixtures, electrical service, communications systems,

 

site signage, and excavation, backfill, grading of site,

 

landscaping and irrigation, within the development area for the

 

use, in whole or in part, of any public or private person or

 

business entity, or a combination of these.

 

     (b) Incur expenses and expend funds to pay or reimburse a

 

public or private person for costs associated with any of the

 

improvements described in subdivision (a).

 

     (c) Make and enter into financing arrangements with a public

 

or private person for the purposes of implementing the board's

 

powers described in this section, including, but not limited to,

 

lease purchase agreements, land contracts, installment sales

 

agreements, sale leaseback agreements, and loan agreements.

 

     Sec. 17. (1) The authority may with approval of the local

 

governing body borrow money and issue its revenue bonds or notes to

 

finance all or part of the costs of acquiring or constructing or

 

causing to be constructed property in connection with either of the

 

following:

 

     (a) The implementation of a development plan in the

 

development area.

 

     (b) The refund, or refund in advance, of bonds or notes issued

 

under this section.

 

     (2) Any of the following may be financed by the issuance of

 

revenue bonds or notes:


 

     (a) The cost of purchasing, acquiring, constructing,

 

improving, enlarging, extending, or repairing property in

 

connection with the implementation of a development plan in the

 

development area, and, for the implementation of the development

 

plan in a qualified development area, the cost of reimbursing a

 

public or private person for any of those costs.

 

     (b) Any engineering, architectural, legal, accounting, or

 

financial expenses.

 

     (c) The costs necessary or incidental to the borrowing of

 

money.

 

     (d) Interest on the bonds or notes during the period of

 

construction.

 

     (e) A reserve for payment of principal and interest on the

 

bonds or notes.

 

     (f) A reserve for operation and maintenance until sufficient

 

revenues have developed.

 

     (3) The authority may secure the bonds and notes by mortgage,

 

assignment, or pledge of the property and any money, revenues, or

 

income received in connection with the property.

 

     (4) A pledge made by the authority is valid and binding from

 

the time the pledge is made. The money or property pledged by the

 

authority immediately is subject to the lien of the pledge without

 

a physical delivery, filing, or further act. The lien of a pledge

 

is valid and binding against parties having claims of any kind in

 

tort, contract, or otherwise, against the authority, whether or not

 

the parties have notice of the lien. Neither the resolution, the

 

trust agreement, nor any other instrument by which a pledge is


 

created must be filed or recorded to be enforceable.

 

     (5) Bonds or notes issued under this section are exempt from

 

all taxation in this state except inheritance and transfer taxes,

 

and the interest on the bonds or notes is exempt from all taxation

 

in this state, notwithstanding that the interest may be subject to

 

federal income tax.

 

     (6) The municipality is not liable on bonds or notes of the

 

authority issued under this section, and the bonds or notes are not

 

a debt of the municipality. The bonds or notes shall contain on

 

their face a statement to that effect.

 

     (7) The bonds and notes of the authority may be invested in by

 

all public officers, state agencies and political subdivisions,

 

insurance companies, banks, savings and loan associations,

 

investment companies, and fiduciaries and trustees, and may be

 

deposited with and received by all public officers and the agencies

 

and political subdivisions of this state for any purpose for which

 

the deposit of bonds is authorized.

 

     Sec. 18. (1) If the authority determines that it is necessary

 

for the achievement of the purposes of this act, the authority

 

shall prepare and submit a tax increment financing plan to the

 

governing body of the municipality. The plan shall include a

 

development plan as provided in section 21, a detailed explanation

 

of the tax increment procedure, the maximum amount of bonded

 

indebtedness to be incurred, and the duration of the program, and

 

shall be in compliance with section 19. The plan shall contain a

 

statement of the estimated impact of tax increment financing on the

 

assessed values of all taxing jurisdictions in which the


 

development area is located. The plan may provide for the use of

 

part or all of the captured assessed value, but the portion

 

intended to be used by the authority shall be clearly stated in the

 

tax increment financing plan. The authority or municipality may

 

exclude from captured assessed value growth in property value

 

resulting solely from inflation. The plan shall set forth the

 

method for excluding growth in property value resulting solely from

 

inflation.

 

     (2) Approval of the tax increment financing plan shall comply

 

with the notice, hearing, and disclosure provisions of section 22.

 

If the development plan is part of the tax increment financing

 

plan, only 1 hearing and approval procedure is required for the 2

 

plans together.

 

     (3) Before the public hearing on the tax increment financing

 

plan, the governing body shall provide a reasonable opportunity to

 

the taxing jurisdictions levying taxes subject to capture to meet

 

with the governing body. The authority shall fully inform the

 

taxing jurisdictions of the fiscal and economic implications of the

 

proposed development area. The taxing jurisdictions may present

 

their recommendations at the public hearing on the tax increment

 

financing plan. The authority may enter into agreements with the

 

taxing jurisdictions and the governing body of the municipality in

 

which the development area is located to share a portion of the

 

captured assessed value of the development area.

 

     (4) A tax increment financing plan may be modified if the

 

modification is approved by the governing body upon notice and

 

after public hearings and agreements as are required for approval


 

of the original plan.

 

     (5) Not Except for a development area located in a qualified

 

development area, not more than 60 days after the public hearing,

 

the governing body in a taxing jurisdiction levying ad valorem

 

property taxes that would otherwise be subject to capture may

 

exempt its taxes from capture by adopting a resolution to that

 

effect and filing a copy with the clerk of the municipality

 

proposing to create the authority. The resolution shall take effect

 

when filed with the clerk and remains effective until a copy of a

 

resolution rescinding that resolution is filed with that clerk.

 

     Sec. 29. (1) Subject to the requirements of subsection (2),

 

within 60 days after a development plan for a qualified development

 

area has been approved under section 18, upon written request from

 

the authority the Michigan economic growth authority under the

 

Michigan economic growth authority act, 1995 PA 24, MCL 207.801 to

 

207.810, may include the following within the definition of tax

 

increment revenues under section 3(g):

 

     (a) Taxes under the state education tax act, 1933 PA 331, MCL

 

211.901 to 211.906.

 

     (b) Taxes levied by local or intermediate school districts

 

under the revised school code, 1976 PA 451, MCL 380.1 to 380.1852.

 

     (2) The Michigan economic growth authority may only allow

 

inclusion of the taxes described in subsection (1) in the

 

definition of tax increment revenues if the Michigan economic

 

growth authority under the Michigan economic growth authority act,

 

1995 PA 24, MCL 207.801 to 207.810, determines that the inclusion

 

is necessary to reduce unemployment, promote economic growth, and


 

increase capital investment in a qualified development area.