WEST FRANKFORT - City council members voted unanimously Tuesday night to accept a redevelopment plan and project for a second tax increment financing district, which is tentatively set to be located in West Frankfort's downtown area.

"Marion has 12 TIF districts," Mayor Marion Presley said. "If we get this one, we will have two. We are catching up."

Keith Moran with Development & Municipal Initiatives, LLC of Cahokia, which has been hired to conduct the initial studies on TIF district opportunities, spoke with the council about several items highlighted in a lengthy report.

"I think it is evident that the city needs this in order to move forward," Moran said. "We want to decrease the amount of vacancies downtown. New projects will mean new employment. We want to be able to market the area. TIF money could be used to bring businesses outside of Illinois to West Frankfort."

A map of West Frankfort showed a green highlighted area representing land included in the proposed district. The coverage area extends east to west from I-57 to Cherry Street. Other extensions are also included, exempting most residential areas.

Moran said the next step the city must follow is to send the proposed plan to all taxing bodies affected by the project. A public hearing is scheduled for Aug. 12, to allow for comments and questions from business owners and the public. No time was set.

tara.fasol@thesouthern.com

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