photo by: Journal-World

The west side of the Douglas County Courthouse, 1100 Massachusetts St.

The Douglas County Commission at its Wednesday meeting will decide whether to approve reauthorizing Baldwin City’s Neighborhood Revitalization Program.

According to a memo to the commission from Baldwin City Administrator Glenn Rodden, the program is intended to promote new construction and incentivize property owners to invest and improve their properties via a tax rebate program.

The Baldwin City Council originally adopted an ordinance establishing the program five years ago. Most recently, the Baldwin City Council and local school board both voted earlier this month to reauthorize the program for another five years and now will seek approval from county leaders. The Journal-World last reported on the program a few months after it was passed by the Baldwin City Council, when the school district came on board.

Since 2017, the program has allowed for a 100% rebate on the property tax value of new residential, industrial and commercial construction; the five-year 100% rebate also applied to any building improvements that would increase an existing business’ or home’s property value by more than 10%.

The plan also gave a 10-year 95% rebate for residential projects with either an affordable housing or historic preservation designation. The window extends to 15 years at the same 95% rebate for projects that carry both the affordable housing and historic building designations.

According to the proposal provided to the commission, those rebates are to remain the same if the commission gives its approval for reauthorization. The property tax rebate incentive program would expire March 1, 2027, unless it’s terminated early.

In other business, the commission will:

• Hear an overview of Lawrence’s Catalyst Incentive Program, which the Lawrence City Commission unanimously extended until 2025 last month.

The program offers perks like expedited approval for industrial projects meeting certain criteria, and is credited with bringing new additions to the city’s business parks and providing financial benefits for the city.

• Hear an update from Douglas County Appraiser Steven Miles. Miles will give commissioners an overview of the appraiser office’s work, as well as a report on the current status of the county valuation process for 2022.

Wednesday’s meeting will begin at 5:30 p.m. at the Douglas County Courthouse, 1100 Massachusetts St. The face mask requirement at county buildings was lifted last week. The meeting also will be available by Zoom. For meeting information, visit the county’s website: dgcoks.org/commissionmeetings.