FARMINGTON — Franklin County commissioners will hold an informational meeting Wednesday, Feb. 4, to discuss the county’s communications infrastructure and what needs to be done to improve it in connection to the county’s enterprise and tax-increment financing agreement.
The meeting is from 10 a.m. to noon at the Olsen Student Center North Dining Hall at the University of Maine at Farmington.
County commissioners are looking at the possible use of funding to help improve communications from the county’s Enterprise and Tax-Increment Financing Development Program. The county entered into a TIF agreement in 2008 with TransCanada Maine Wind Development Inc., a wholly-owned affiliate of TransCanada Corp., which owns the 44-turbine wind energy project in Kibby and Skinner townships.
The idea of the potential amendment includes expanding the development program and the geographic area that is covered under the agreement, adding more categories and land.
People who work in the communications business have been invited to attend the meeting.
Among the discussions Wednesday are how the county accomplishes full and adequate communications coverage — radio, cellphone and broadband — to support emergency management, businesses, residents and visitors.
An estimated cost will be reviewed, as well as an estimated timeline to complete such a project. Other funding sources also will be discussed.
The meeting will conclude with a summary and the next steps in the TIF amendment process.
In 2008, the county estimated it would retain $4 million over 20 years when commissioners entered into a credit-enhancement agreement with TransCanada. The TIF agreement allows for 75 percent of the new taxes to be retained by the county over 20 years, with county commissioners reimbursing the company 60 percent of those new taxes annually for 20 years.
dperry@sunmediagroup.net
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