Affordable housing is the goal of a new Tax Increment District in the Town of Gibraltar if it gets the support of the Wisconsin Legislature.
TIDs are used locally in the City of Sturgeon Bay and Village of Sister Bay to help pay for some of the infrastructure needed to develop parts of their municipalities. The Town of Gibraltar’s problem is that it is too small to qualify as you needed at least 3,500 residents to be able to establish a TID. Despite high property values, the town’s population is about 2,000 less than what is required. Town Administrator Travis Thyssen says with a TID, they would be able to install a sewer line needed for the proposed affordable housing development. Thyssen added that a town their size getting such a request approved is not unheard of in the state.
The request by the Town of Gibraltar is going through its legislative process in hopes it will be approved by the end of March when the current sessions of the Assembly and Senate are expected to end.