The Tax Increment Financing plan, or TIF, as it's being called, may be being used as a bargaining chip by the city of Chelan to win Lake Chelan Health's support. Lake Chelan Health CEO Aaron Edwards has raised concerns about TIF, concerned that the hospital, which is a junior taxing district, will lose tax dollars if TIF goes forward. What's more, at stake is an 11-million dollar relocation of EMS services to the new hospital that Edwards says is at risk:
Edwards says the city had a response:
Edwards says they aren't against the water projects that TIF would be used for, but seems upset that he wasn't told that TIF or an agreement with a developer was needed for the EMS and administrative offices to move to the new hospital:
The City Council is expected to vote on the TIF plan at their meeting on May 9th.