Retail Therapy: The Highlands Makes School Budgets Healthier
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TRIADELPHIA -- The Highlands Development property -- when it was mostly a barren field in tax year 2005 -- brought in just $3,958 in revenue to Ohio County Schools.
But what a difference 18 years, a Cabela's, a Walmart, a Target, a J.C. Penney, a Menards and many other stores make.
For 2023, it is estimated the school district will receive $2,166,594 from property tax collections attributed to The Highlands and the Fort Henry Tax Increment Financing (TIF) District, according to figures provided by the Ohio County Commission and Ohio County Development Authority.
Superintendent Kim Miller said the revenue received from the county goes into the school district's general fund, which currently has a budget of about $70 million.
The school district pays for out of the general fund such things as employee salaries and benefits, school supplies, maintenance and transportation.
"The general fund pays for just about everything," Miller said. "(Without the money from The Highlands) we would see a decrease across the board. We would see potential cuts in supplies. Some things just wouldn't get fixed, and we would have to look at (decreasing) health benefits."
Since 2005, The Highlands through the Fort Henry TIF District has generated $65,957,611 in Ohio County property tax revenue as a whole, with $28,161,493 coming to Ohio County Schools during that time.
The remaining $37,796,118 in tax revenue is designated as TIF funds, which are used to further build out and make improvements within the Fort Henry TIF District.
Commissioner Randy Wharton, also president of the Ohio County Development Authority, has been involved with the development of The Highlands since its idea was hatched in the late 1990s.
"We knew all this was going to happen," he said. "It just goes to show what The Highlands has done for Ohio County, and it's done many things.
"It has created jobs. It has created a place for people to shop, and it's been an economic boost to the community," Wharton added. "If not for The Highlands, all of this money would not have gone to Ohio County Schools."
Often people ask, "What has The Highlands done for us?" Wharton continued.
"When you take into account all the labor it took to construct it - which was mostly local; all the building material that was used -- which was mostly local, the jump-off effect of The Highlands has been millions and millions of dollars," he said.
"How these dollars translate into local education is very important."
The fact is not lost on his commission colleagues.
"Thanks to the foresight of previous county commissions - and the continuing operations between the commission and the county development authority -- you can see the substantial revenue that has been generated from property that was generating practically nothing," Commission President Don Nickerson said.
Commissioner Zach Abraham previously served as president of the Ohio County Board of Education.
"The additional revenue that comes into the district - I can tell you it's very much needed," he said. "It's very well received, and very much needed in terms of how they utilize that money. We've noticed that over the past few years, and it is very beneficial to the team that educates our students."
Abraham said much of the money is used to supplement teacher pay to try to enhance Ohio County Schools.
"If we don't have the money, we can't do the extra things," he continued "This $28 million since 2006 is really impressive in terms of how much of that money was contributed to the board of education.
"It definitely is a benefit, and I know that they are appreciative of things they can do in our county that they can't do in other counties in large part due to the development at The Highlands. That's a lot of money," Abraham said.