Into the TIRZ-iverse: The Municipal Multiverse of Tax Increment Financing

This session will identify how to utilize TIRZ as a part of the broader planning toolbox, demonstrate how public investment in various project types can be leveraged to spur private development, and describe how different government entities approach internal administration of their TIRZ programs.

Tax Increment Financing (TIF), as a concept and tool, has found broad use across the United States and in Texas through the Tax Increment Financing Act. According to the latest financial report from the State Comptroller’s Office, some 182 cities and counties currently have over 400 active Tax Increment Reinvestment Zones (TIRZ). While TIRZ has come to be a relatively common tool in the planner’s toolbox, planners and local governments each have their own way of utilizing the tool. As the City of Houston embarked on a recent update to its TIRZ policy, an informal review of best practices across the state made it clear that TIF in Texas comes in many different forms. For every Tobey Maguire, Andrew Garfield, and Tom Holland, there are dozens of communities that give off more of a Shameik Moore, Hailee Steinfeld, or John Mulaney vibe. Yes, each of these actors have played some version of Spider-Man.

Given the economic diversity present throughout the state, this session will highlight three communities that have utilized TIF in different ways. The session will start with an introduction of how Dallas, Houston, and San Antonio have approached TIF, including the program focus for each community. Panel members will touch on the evolution of their community’s approach. Following the introduction, the moderator will pose community-specific questions to each panelist that will paint a broad picture of how TIF is used to support economic and community development objectives, ways planners can see TIF as a positive tool for plan implementation, and how each local government approaches the administration of their broad TIF programs. The session will wrap with questions from the audience, time permitting.

The panelists recommend this session for a wide variety of attendees:
•Public sector planners, particularly city/county planners with ambitious redevelopment goals,
•Local elected officials who may be skeptical about the utility of TIF,
•Private sector planners who wish to understand how TIF may fit-into their plan making efforts, and
•Developers and others looking to create value in a Texas TIRZ (unless your name is Norman Osborn/Green Goblin)