Agency funds: means money that an agency collects or receives for agency operations, implementing a project area plan or an implementation plan as defined in Section 17C-1-1001, or other agency purposes, including:
(a)
project area funds;
(b)
income, proceeds, revenue, or property derived from or held in connection with the agency's undertaking and implementation of project area development or agency-wide project development as defined in Section 17C-1-1001;
(c)
a contribution, loan, grant, or other financial assistance from any public or private source;
(d)
project area incremental revenue as defined in Section 17C-1-1001; or
Local government building: means a building owned and operated by a community for the primary purpose of providing one or more primary community functions, including:
Project area: means the geographic area described in a project area plan within which the project area development described in the project area plan takes place or is proposed to take place. See Utah Code 17C-1-102
Project area funds: means tax increment or sales and use tax revenue that an agency receives under a project area budget adopted by a taxing entity committee or an interlocal agreement. See Utah Code 17C-1-102
Project area plan: means an urban renewal project area plan, an economic development project area plan, a community development project area plan, or a community reinvestment project area plan that, after the project area plan's effective date, guides and controls the project area development. See Utah Code 17C-1-102
the United States, including an agency of the United States;
(b)
the state, including any of the state's departments or agencies; or
(c)
a political subdivision of the state, including a county, municipality, school district, special district, special service district, community reinvestment agency, or interlocal cooperation entity. See Utah Code 17C-1-102
Publicly owned infrastructure and improvements: means water, sewer, storm drainage, electrical, natural gas, telecommunication, or other similar systems and lines, streets, roads, curb, gutter, sidewalk, walkways, parking facilities, public transportation facilities, or other facilities, infrastructure, and improvements benefitting the public and to be publicly owned or publicly maintained or operated. See Utah Code 17C-1-102
the amount of property tax revenue generated each tax year by a taxing entity from the area within a project area designated in the project area plan as the area from which tax increment is to be collected, using the current assessed value of the property and each taxing entity's current certified tax rate as defined in Section 59-2-924; and
(ii)
the amount of property tax revenue that would be generated from that same area using the base taxable value of the property and each taxing entity's current certified tax rate as defined in Section 59-2-924. See Utah Code 17C-1-102
Taxing entity: means a public entity that:
(a)
levies a tax on property located within a project area; or
Taxing entity committee: means a committee representing the interests of taxing entities, created in accordance with Section 17C-1-402. See Utah Code 17C-1-102
Urban renewal project area plan: means a project area plan adopted under 1. See Utah Code 17C-1-102
(a)
An agency may use agency funds:
(i)
for any purpose authorized under this title;
(ii)
for administrative, overhead, legal, or other operating expenses of the agency, including consultant fees and expenses under Subsection 17C-2-102(1)(b)(ii)(B) or funding for a business resource center;
(iii)
subject to Section 11-41-103, to pay for, including financing or refinancing, all or part of:
(A)
project area development in a project area, including environmental remediation activities occurring before or after adoption of the project area plan;
(B)
housing-related expenditures, projects, or programs as described in Section 17C-1-411 or 17C-1-412;
(C)
an incentive or other consideration paid to a participant under a participation agreement;
(D)
subject to Subsections (1)(c) and (4), the value of the land for and the cost of the installation and construction of any publicly owned building, facility, structure, landscaping, or other improvement within the project area from which the project area funds are collected; or
(E)
the cost of the installation of publicly owned infrastructure and improvements outside the project area from which the project area funds are collected if the board and the community legislative body determine by resolution that the publicly owned infrastructure and improvements benefit the project area;
(iv)
in an urban renewal project area that includes some or all of an inactive industrial site and subject to Subsection (1)(e), to reimburse the Department of Transportation created under Section 72-1-201, or a public transit district created under 8, for the cost of:
(A)
construction of a public road, bridge, or overpass;
(B)
relocation of a railroad track within the urban renewal project area; or
(C)
relocation of a railroad facility within the urban renewal project area;
(v)
subject to Subsection (5), to transfer funds to a community that created the agency; or
(vi)
subject to Subsection (1)(f), for agency-wide project development under 10.
(b)
The determination of the board and the community legislative body under Subsection (1)(a)(iii)(E) regarding benefit to the project area shall be final and conclusive.
(c)
An agency may not use project area funds received from a taxing entity for the purposes stated in Subsection (1)(a)(iii)(D) under an urban renewal project area plan, an economic development project area plan, or a community reinvestment project area plan without the community legislative body’s consent.
(d)
(i)
Subject to Subsection (1)(d)(ii), an agency may loan project area funds from a project area fund to another project area fund if:
(A)
the board approves; and
(B)
the community legislative body approves.
(ii)
An agency may not loan project area funds under Subsection (1)(d)(i) unless the projections for agency funds are sufficient to repay the loan amount.
Before an agency may pay any tax increment or sales tax revenue under Subsection (1)(a)(iv), the agency shall enter into an interlocal agreement defining the terms of the reimbursement with:
(i)
the Department of Transportation; or
(ii)
a public transit district.
(f)
Before an agency may use project area funds for agency-wide project development, as defined in Section 17C-1-1001, the agency shall obtain the consent of the taxing entity committee or each taxing entity party to an interlocal agreement with the agency.
An agency may use sales and use tax revenue that the agency receives under an interlocal agreement under Section 17C-4-201 or 17C-5-204 for the uses authorized in the interlocal agreement.
(3)
(a)
An agency may contract with the community that created the agency or another public entity to use agency funds to reimburse the cost of items authorized by this title to be paid by the agency that are paid by the community or other public entity.
(b)
If land is acquired or the cost of an improvement is paid by another public entity and the land or improvement is leased to the community, an agency may contract with and make reimbursement from agency funds to the community.
(4)
Notwithstanding any other provision of this title, an agency may not use project area funds, project area incremental revenue as defined in Section 17C-1-1001, or property tax revenue as defined in Section 17C-1-1001, to construct a local government building unless the taxing entity committee or each taxing entity party to an interlocal agreement with the agency consents.
(5)
For the purpose of offsetting the community’s annual local contribution to the Homeless Shelter Cities Mitigation Restricted Account, the total amount an agency transfers in a calendar year to a community under Subsections (1)(a)(v), 17C-1-411(1)(d), and 17C-1-412(1)(a)(x) may not exceed the community’s annual local contribution as defined in Subsection 59-12-205(4).
Amended by Chapter 15, 2023 General Session Amended by Chapter 471, 2023 General Session Amended by Chapter 492, 2023 General Session