CINCINNATI — While Cincinnati City Council weighs the option to expand Tax Increment Financing districts, or TIFs, some local educators are raising concerns about how money will be allocated.
Teachers and local school board members say the money from any new TIF district would be diverted away from education and go toward private business and infrastructure development.
“The dollars that we would be collecting would be frozen," Julie Sellers, president of the Cincinnati Federation of Teachers, said. "That means that the district would have to go for more new money, which I think people are already tapped out on taxes. And they don’t want to pay more money.”
However, TIF supporters are saying the increase in money toward business and infrastructure development would actually help students.
"Some of the neighborhoods are aching for development, and the babies that are growing up in that area need that development," City Councilman Jeff Pastor said.
City Council is still debating TIFs, but a rally against TIFs is planned for Monday before before the city's budget and finance committee meeting at 1 p.m. outside city hall.
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