(A) All requests or petitions for real and/or personal property tax abatements presented to the Council shall first be reviewed and considered by the Redevelopment Commission.
(B) The Redevelopment Commission shall review all abatement requests and make a recommendation to the Council as to whether said abatement request should be granted. The Council, however, shall not be bound by the Redevelopment Commission’s recommendation.
(C) The Redevelopment Commission shall establish procedures for considering and reviewing abatements and shall create general guidelines for the public concerning abatements.
(D) The Redevelopment Commission shall also assist those seeking an abatement by preparing all documentation necessary to consider and grant an abatement including, but not limited to, SB-1 forms, petitions requesting abatements, designating and confirming resolutions, target area resolutions, required public notices and abatement calculation agreements. The Redevelopment Commission shall further assist those seeking an abatement by arranging for the publication of required notices related to the abatement.
(E) In consideration of providing the above-referenced services to those seeking an abatement, the applicant, pursuant to I.C. 6-1.1-12.1-2(h), shall pay an abatement application filing fee to the Redevelopment Commission of $1,750 to defray its legal expenses in retaining counsel to prepare the necessary documentation in consultation with the applicant (or such amount as the Redevelopment Commission may in the future determine). In addition, the applicant shall reimburse the city for all costs of publication and other expenses associated with the abatement.
(F) Said filing fee shall only be required of applicants who actually file a request for abatement. No fee shall be charged to a person or entity that merely inquires about abatements or obtains information about abatements from the Redevelopment Commission.
(G) The Council may require any person, firm or corporation seeking a tax abatement to execute an abatement calculation agreement in the form and substance of the agreements attached to Resolution 6-3-11 as Exhibits A and B, for real and personal property tax abatements, respectively, a copy of which is on file in the office of the Clerk-Treasurer.
(Res. 6-3-11, passed 6-14-2011; Res. 6-4-11, passed 6-14-2011)