City Hall Roundup: Dallas Council Set to Authorize $6.3 Million For Home Repairs in 3 TIF Districts

About $6.3 million could be added this fiscal year to a fund for home repairs in the Oak Cliff Gateway, Fort Worth Avenue, and Deep Ellum tax increment financing districts, pending a City Council vote on Wednesday. 

North Oak Cliff Councilman Chad West has championed the City’s home repair program, which recently was streamlined to eliminate a first-come, first-serve “Hunger Games-style” process that offers assistance to just a few homeowners. West’s district covers the Oak Cliff Gateway and Fort Worth Avenue TIFs. Deep Ellum is in District 2, represented by Councilman Jesse Moreno. 

Dallas has 18 TIF districts, including the Oak Cliff Gateway, Deep Ellum, Design District, Fort Worth Avenue, and Skillman Corridor. 

“The City’s tax increment financing (TIF) program identifies under-performing real estate in the City, develops redevelopment plans, works with private developers to implement these plans, and reinvests a portion of property tax revenues generated from new real estate development into the area to encourage the implementation of the redevelopment plan,” according to an overview on the Dallas TIF webpage. 

Dispersing TIF Funds

In an Aug. 30 memorandum to members of the City Council’s Economic Development Committee, Interim Assistant City Manager Robin Bentley said Wednesday’s agenda item authorizes the chief financial officer to annually transfer a portion of tax increment funding from the Oak Cliff Gateway TIF District, the Fort Worth Avenue TIF District, and the Deep Ellum TIF District to the City’s Department of Housing and Community Development. The funds would be deployed in the City’s “homeowner stabilization, home repair, and displacement mitigation programs in transitioning neighborhoods in and adjacent to” those districts. 

Oak Cliff Gateway Tax Increment Financing Board Recommends Using TIF Funds For Home Repairs, Displacement Mitigation

For the current fiscal year, the transfer amounts are estimated at $2.5 million from Oak Cliff Gateway, $912,287 from Fort Worth Avenue, and $2.9 million from Deep Ellum. 

The total estimated budget capacity dedicated to homeowner stabilization, home repair, and displacement mitigation programs over the remaining term of each TIF district is: 

• Oak Cliff Gateway TIF District: estimated $10.5 million
• Fort Worth Avenue TIF District: estimated $16 million
• Deep Ellum TIF District: estimated $13.4 million

We’ll update this story to include the vote at the Dallas City Council’s Sept.25 meeting.