Proposed TIF District Near Granger Data Center Faces Pushback 

ST. JOSEPH COUNTY, Ind. -- The St. Joseph County Economic Development Department is proposing a TIF district around the data center development along Cleveland Road.

The proposal would allow additional property tax revenue generated by new development in the district to be captured and used for projects within the established district.

The proposal says the funding could help pay for infrastructure improvements in the area, including water and sewer upgrades.

Jamie O'Brien, a candidate for St. Joseph County Council District C, said he is concerned about how TIF revenue would be controlled and whether residents would have enough input into how the money is spent.

O'Brien hosted a community event to discuss the proposal, with several sitting County Council members in attendance.

O'Brien said he believes the additional tax revenue should instead remain on the regular tax rolls.

"If it goes in the TIF, there's no control over how that money is spent,” O'Brien said.

A TIF district captures the increase in property tax revenue generated by rising property values within a designated area.

That revenue can then be used to fund projects and improvements within the district rather than being distributed through the broader tax base.

O'Brien described the proposal as "a wealth transfer from the rest of the county into Granger.", but questioned whether there would be guarantees about how the money would ultimately be spent.

"There can be plans or goals, but there are very, very few guarantees in life, and certainly how the TIF revenue would be spent is one of those few guarantees," O'Brien said.

O'Brien also raised concerns about public input and who would make decisions about the funding.

He argued that keeping the revenue in the broader county tax base would give the County Council as and the residents they serve more control over decisions about how the money is used.

O'Brien highlighted that creating a TIF district could encourage additional industrial development in the area, without addressing public input.

"Supporting a TIF more or less is comparable to just supporting a data center, a new additional data center," he said.

The St. Joseph County Council's vote on establishing the proposed TIF district was originally scheduled for Aug. 25 but has been postponed to Sept. 22.