Kiel’s long-term tax incremental finance planning has been a boon to community growth. In 2011 a couple of community milestones spoke to those efforts. Above, the city was able to complete a significant expansion to the Kiel Firehouse, largely without impacting the tax roll, as the closure of TID #3 helped provide funding. Kiel also opened a fourth TID in 2011, helping pave the way for the Shopko Hometown store that opened in November. Kiel’s tax incremental districts date back to the late 1980s and have provided the impetus for a lot of development in the community.

When Kiel planners embarked on their visionary effort back in the late 1980’s community growth was a vision of hope.

Today, more than 30 years after Kiel formed its first tax incremental financing district, the community and its taxpayers are seeing the full fruits of that planning effort.

“We are really fortunate to have had the outstanding growth in our TIF districts” Mayor Robert Werdeo, Jr. said. “It’s really a compliment to all those who were involved in that planning effort when it all started.”

Last year, Kiel retired its largest TID, and the benefits for taxpayers in the Kiel area continue. Excess incremental dollars remaining when the TID closed helped to finance the construction of Kiel’s expanded firehouse, which was officially dedicated last year. Even larger portions of those funds went to the Kiel Area School District.

Additional tax revenues were officially turned onto the tax rolls, which allowed the city, school district and county all to benefit from higher tax revenue in the former TID areas.

“We were fortunate enough to see this growth happen, and this infrastructure put into place without a burden on the tax rates or utility rates,” City Administrator Dennis Dedering said. “This complements the city’s long term goals of keeping taxes low and still upgrading the infrastructure needs of all our residences and businesses.”