Dear Editor: Who Will Pay for Senator Hertz's Reform of TIF?

Dear Editor,

Who will pay for Senator Hertz's reform of tax increment financing?

Tax increment financing (TIF) is a policy driver that incentivizes private developers to develop in areas they would not otherwise develop, e.g., 100-year-old vacant, blighted structures full of contaminants on rural Main Streets. Why? They can't cash flow them. They can't maximize their profits. It is cheaper to buy ag and green lands outside of the city boundaries where they don't have to hassle with city codes, costly permits, and government delays.

But guess what typically happens after folks develop on the ou...