By Dee Grenert Editor
CULVER — An error hit Culver Tax Increment Financing (TIF) district 1 with a nearly $60,000 loss in tax revenue for 2006.
Prior to the body’s monthly meeting Monday, CRC President Kathy Clark expected the board to accept the loss of money.
However, after consultation with Todd Samuelson of Umbaugh, the board unanimously decided to pursue a plan to recoup the money.
The costly mistake put Bayside Condominiums and its $3.4 million assessed value outside the TIF district, costing the Culver Redevelopment Commission (CRC) $59,836 in tax revenue. The error has since been corrected for future disbursement.

A meeting between Clark, CRC member Jim Sawhook and Nysa McFarland, chief deputy auditor of Marshall County, last Tuesday left both Clark and Sawhook thinking the pursuit of the money would harm other taxing units, most notably Culver Community Schools Corporation and the town of Culver.
“I certainly would like the money back,” Clark said. “The picture I got was that it would be very noticeable to those taxing entities right away and that they’ll be shorted X amount of dollars.”
Samuelson, though, said the $3.4 million omitted from the TIF district’s assessed value merely meant those entities received tax dollars at a lower rate.
“(Taxing units) didn’t get a windfall; it was just at a lower rate,” Samuelson said. “If you want to recapture the money, what I think we should do is meet with Nysa again. We can discuss a way, if it’s one time or if we phase it in.”
Clark, Sawhook and members Chet Marshall, Jim Weirick and Lynn Overmyer all supported the action.