Marion approves $60 million financial deal for project at I-69 and Ind. 18

"There are a lot of things that still need to be questioned and so on," president Joselyn Whitticker, D-At large, said after announcing that she was putting the general ordinance back into committee.

She and council members Fred Troxell, D-Ward 1, voted against the ordinance, which authorizes the city to issue up to $60 million in tax increment financing (TIF) bonds to help 18/69 Land Development finance the proposed project. The council's vote was the final step in the TIF process, meaning the city administration can move forward with the bond, allowing the developers to move forward with the project.

Whitticker initially said the ordinance would be moved back to the April 7 agenda, which could have halted the project. James F. O'Connor, a Philadelphia health care executive who is one of the people behind 18/69 Land Development and one of two people who have pitched the project in public meetings, had previously said on multiple occasions that Mutual Bank, which currently owns most of the land for the proposed project, gave him until March 31 to purchase its part of the property. After that, the bank intended to sell it to a farmer, O'Connor has said.

O'Connor and city officials and consultants have explained the city is not taking on any risk by issuing the bond for O'Connor's company, and he will take out a construction loan to begin the project because the only TIF revenue he would receive would be that generated by the property he would be developing at I-69 and Ind. 18.

Council member Madonna French, R-Ward 2, who is president of the Marion Redevelopment Commission, asked why Whitticker had not already asked her questions, all of which O'Connor answered after receiving a list of questions from her Tuesday night. Brad Luzadder, R-At large, and Jim Brunner, R-Ward 3, made a motion and seconded it, respectively, to remove Whitticker as council president, but council attorney Phil Stephenson said their rules do not allow for that. A few council members apologized to the developers for Whitticker's decision.

"I highlight resent what Madame President just did," Brunner said immediately after Whitticker announced she was putting the ordinance back into committee and pushing it back.

Stephenson said the council's own rules allow the president to move a measure into committee as Whitticker did, though Luzadder later motioned for the council to suspend its rules and vote on the ordinance after a public hearing.

The council's rules require them to vote three times on such an ordinance before it's adopted. Suspending those rules Tuesday night allowed council members to adopt the ordinance at that time.

Most of the people who spoke during the public hearing Tuesday reiterated favorable opinions of the proposed project that they had voiced last week, when the council's Development Committee had a public hearing on the matter.

Katie Morgan and Tony Hendey also shared their opinions in favor of the project and its potential benefits for the community Tuesday. Herschel Lewis said he encouraged council members to be open-minded regardless of whether he were for or against the project.

Whereas the opinions of the members of the public who spoke last week were roughly divided, only one person spoke against the project.

Retired businessman Jim Sutter voiced different concerns than he did last week, citing "demographics" Tuesday. He pointed out that Marion High School's Bill Green Athletic Arena seats 7,560 —more than the multipurpose arena planned for the I-69 and Ind. 18 development — and he questioned the need for new medical offices planned for the development, which he said is about 8 miles from Marion General Hospital.