The Franklin County Tax Increment Financing (TIF) District was created in 2008 to provide public assistance for the Kibby Wind Power Project and establish an economic development program for Franklin County's unorganized townships. The TIF agreement allows 75% of new taxes from the project to remain in the county for 20 years, with the county reimbursing 60% of those taxes to the developer annually. The remaining 40% is dedicated to county economic development. The document provides details on applying for project-based grants from the TIF funds, including the application process, requirements, and scoring criteria used to evaluate proposals.
2. Introduction:
Established in May of 2008, the Franklin County Tax
Increment Financing (TIF) District was created to
provide public assistance to the financing of the Kibby
Wind Power Project and to establish an economic
development program for the Unorganized Townships of
Franklin County.
3. Introduction:
The County Commissioners worked with the TransCanada Maine Wind
Development Inc. to establish a TIF District and an associated Credit
Enhancement Agreement to allow for the taxes generated by the project to
remain in the Countyâs unorganized townships for the purpose of economic
development.
ï” The TIF and CEA allow for
ï” 75% of the new taxes generated by the project to be retained by the
county over 20 years.
ï” The County agreed to reimburse to the Company 60% of those new
taxes annually for 20 years.
ï” The remainder of the TIF funds (40%) would be dedicated to the
County for economic development purposes .
4. Unorganized Townships
Chain of Ponds Township
Coburn Gore
Freeman Township
Lang Township
Madrid Township
Perkins Township
Redington Township
Salem Township
Township D
Township E
No. 1, R.5 (Jim Pond)
No.1, R.5 (Skinner)
No.2, R.4 (Tim Pond)
No.2, R.6 (Chain of Ponds)
No.2, R.7 W.B.K.P
No.2, R. 8 (Beattie)
No.3, R.3 (Davis)
No.3, R.4 (Stetsontown)
No.3 R.5 (Seven Ponds)
No.3, R.6 (Massachusetts
Gore)
No.4, R.1 (Mt. Abraham),
B.K.P., W.K.P
No.4, R.3 (Wyman) B.K.P.,
W.K.P.
Township 6
Washington Township
No.1, R.6 (Kibby)
No.1, R.9 (Gorham Gore)
No.2, R.5 (Alder Stream)
6. Types of Projects for Which Franklin County
TIF Project Grant Funds can be Used
ï” Scenic Byway Improvements
ï” Tourism Planning and Marketing
ï” Scenic Byway Planning and Updates
ï” Match for Grants
ï” Multi-Purpose Recreation Trails
7. The steps to completing the application are as
follows:
1. Submit Letter of Intent
2. Upon receiving feedback from the TIF Review Committee,
compile proof of engagement, letters of intent and proof of
required permits and easements.
3. Complete the online form
4. Submit the online form and all required materials to:
jmagoon@franklincountyme.com AND ahagerstrom@greaterfranklin.com
5. Documents which can not be sent electronically should be
sent to:
Julie Magoon
c/o Franklin County Commissionersâ Office
140 Main Street
Farmington, ME 04938
8. Letter of Intent
ï” An introduction to the project and how it benefits the
Unorganized Township (UT)
ï” A description of your organization
ï” A statement of need and amount requested
ï” A brief outline of your plans of action
ï” A brief discussion of your other funding sources for the
project (donations, other grants, etc.)
The Letter of Intent must not exceed the one page provided on the form.
9. The Franklin County TIF grant application is
made up of four parts, all due together
1. Proof of engagement with a Franklin County Network
2. Letters of Agreement
3. Proof of Permissions, Permits and Easements
4. Online TIF Grant Application form
10. Letters of Agreement
ï” If your project is collaborative â the financial and time
responsibility of more than one organization â letters of
agreement are required.
ï” Do not send letters of agreement if only your organization takes
responsibility for the project.
It is strongly recommended that you work collaboratively
with other businesses, as it will enhance your overall
score.
11. Example: Letter of Agreement
Mike from ATV Club A
will work with Jim
From ATV Club Z to
restore trails in their
area. Mike is applying
for a TIF grant. Their
letter of
understanding could
look like this..
Dear Mike, ATV Club A â
We here at ATV Club Z will contribute the following to the trail restoration project from May
3rd-May 30th, 2014.
- Provide $3,000 towards labor costs
- Spend 15 hours weekly devoted to leveling the trails and beautifying them
- Meet biweekly with the ATV Club A to discuss project progress
- Help market the trails after their renovation by notifying our network
ATV Club A has agreed to contribute the following from May 3rd â May 30th 2014
-the remaining $7,000 of the $10,000 in labor costs
-Supply equipment and materials necessary for project completion
-Spend 15 to 30 hours weekly devoted to trail restoration
-Attend biweekly meetings with ATV Club Z to discuss project progress
-Facilitation of various administrative and other tasks as they arise
We look forward to working together on this project!
Sincerely,
Jim Smith, ATV Club Z
(Signature, Date)
Agreed by: Mike LaBrecque, ATV Club A
(Signature, Date)
12. Proof of Engagement with a Franklin
County Network
ï” Ex. Franklin County Community College Network, Franklin
County Tourism Network, High Peaks Creative Council etc.
Proof of Engagement should be documented by
ï” Current or former membership in an organization by you or a
project partner.
ï” Previous project work with an organization.
ï” Participation in a networks programming.
ï” Planned participation is also accepted, but must be
documented and available to submit to the committee upon
request.
13. Proof of Permissions Permits, and Easements
ï”If your project will require Permissions and
Easements, documentation of your successful
access to these will be required.
ï”If your project will require a permit, proof of
approval is needed at time of applicaton.
14. Online Form
ï” Form can be found at
http://www.greaterfranklin.com/resources/franklin
countytif
ï” DUE:
ï” Letter of intent: March 17, 2014
ï” Grant Application : May 7, 2014
15. Instructions for downloading and saving
a PDF form
ï” Both the letter of intent form, and the Project-Based
Grant Online Form are provided in PDF format. In order
to complete these forms, you must have Acrobat Reader
installed on you computer. If you do not, you can
download Acrobat Reader by going to
http://get.adobe.com/reader
16.
17. Saving PDF files to your computer
Allow your mouse to hover over
the bottom right of the screen.
When the black command box
appears, click on the disk,
indicating you would like to save
the document to your computer
18. Saving PDF files to your computer
Choose to save the application to
your desktop. You should now be
able to locate the application on
your computer desktop. You may
fill in, save and print the
application
19. Filling out the Form
The Online Form is Comprised of:
ï” General Information
ï” Project Summary
ï” Project Objectives
ï” Project Timeline
ï” Funding and Expenses
ï” Collaborating Organizations or Businesses
ï” Required Documents and Information
20.
21.
22.
23.
24. Download adobe
reader
Save form to your
desktop and
complete. Save when
completed.
Attach completed
form, and other
scanned documents
to an email, and send
to:
Submitting the Application
jmagoon@franklincountyme.com
AND
ahagerstrom@greaterfranklin.com
25. TIF Project Scoring Sheet
Project Name: Amount Requested: Amount Recommended
Standard Criteria (Score All Criteria) Points Possible Points Awarded
Evidence of Collaboration 1-20
Evidence of engagement with a Franklin County âNetworkâ 1-10
Potential to provide direct benefit to business(es) in the UT 1-10
Project applicant home or work address in the UT 0 or 5
Leveraging Other Funds: % of Total Project Costs_________ 1-10
Specific Criteria (Score One Category) Points Possible
Scenic Byway Improvements 1-10
Tourism Planning and Marketing 1-10
Scenic Byway Planning and Updates 1-10
Match for Grants 1-10
Multi-Purpose Recreation Trails 1-10
(Total Points Possible: 65) Total Points
Date:
Location of Project:
Scored by:
Category:
Notes:
27. Progress Report
The Progress Report will be due within 6 months of the
dispersal of grand funds
âą General Information
âą Progress Summary
âą Expense Summary
28. Progress Report
General Information
âą Name and project title
âą Specify the amount of the grant you received
âą Official start date
âą Projected end date
29. Progress Report
Progress Summary
âą Summary in bullet form
âą 300 words
âą Describe progress made thus far
âą Including:
âą Actions taken
âą Modified plans
âą In-progress actions
âą Any measurable results
âą Other applicable information
32. Final Report
Due within 60 days of project completion, Includes:
âą General Information
âą Progress Summary
âą Expense Summary
33. Final Report
General Information
As on the TIF Grant Application online form and TIF Progress
Report, you will be required to provide general information
such as your name and project title. In this section, you
will also be asked to specify the amount of the grant you
received, as well as your official project start and end
dates
34. Final Report
Progress Summary
You will then be asked to write a final project summary â no
more than 350 words â describing the project and progress
you have made since the progress report. This should
include all actions taken, modified plans, any measurable
results, and other information at your discretion