Sault Ste. Marie commissioners will vote Monday, Oct. 5, on a 25-year extension of the Airport Development Area Tax Increment Finance Authority.
The 7 p.m. meeting at City Hall also includes a public hearing on a state land-acquisition grant and a change order for lead service line work.
Airport TIFA extension
The TIFA extension is the furthest along. Commissioners gave the ordinance amending Chapter 18.5 of the city code a unanimous first reading on Sept. 21, according to city commission minutes. If adopted, the ordinance would extend the Airport Development Area TIFA by 25 years.
The extension does not create a new tax or raise the existing rate, according to the city's meeting packet. It captures a portion of property-tax growth within the district from the city and Chippewa County. Staff projections estimate the TIFA would generate roughly $4.4 million in total tax-increment revenue from 2025 through 2051, assuming a 2% annual increase in taxable value.
Eligible spending includes public infrastructure, business development, property acquisition and marketing. A Sept. 21 public hearing on the plan drew no comments. The TIFA III Board approved the draft plan on July 15 and passed a resolution of intent on Aug. 19.
Airport Manager Chandler Cass told the Soo Leader on Aug. 9, at Sanderson Field's inaugural open house, that "the airport is just the centerpiece for everything in Sault Ste. Marie and in the Eastern UP."
Ashmun Creek land acquisition
Commissioners will hold a public hearing on a grant application to the Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund (MNRTF) for a 0.41-acre parcel on W. 24th Avenue, adjacent to the Ashmun Creek Preserve. The total acquisition cost is estimated at $23,000. The city is requesting $17,000 from the state trust fund. The Sault Ste. Marie Convention & Visitors Bureau approved covering the $6,000 local match on Aug. 13.
The parcel would become a future trailhead site with parking and wayfinding signage, though any development would require separate City Commission approval. The acquisition ties into a larger project proposing about two miles of accessible, four-season trail within the 425-acre preserve.
During a July 20 site visit, Michigan Department of Natural Resources representatives identified the parcel as a way to improve trail access and address parking limitations, according to the meeting packet. The commission unanimously authorized the grant application on Aug. 3. Monday's hearing is a required step before the application can be submitted.
Lead service line work
The commission will also consider Change Order No. 03 for Contract No. 1 of the city's water main and lead service line replacement project, funded through the state's Drinking Water State Revolving Fund.
Other business
Police Chief Wesley Bierling will present Officer Michael Rand with a departmental lifesaving commendation. The agenda also lists a Department Facility Study findings and implementation plan, an election precinct agreement with Lake Superior State University, an information technology services agreement extension with Chippewa County and a banking resolution change.
The meeting is open to the public at 7 p.m. Monday, Oct. 5, at City Hall, 225 E. Portage Ave. Residents who need disability accommodations can call the City Clerk's office at (906) 635-5261.
