Easton School Board Continues Support of Route 33 TIF

The will maintain its support for the Tax Incremental Financing plan for the proposed Route 33 interchange, but only after cutting a $4 million deal with the project's developer.

Under the terms of the agreement laid out at Wednesday's school board meeting, the school district agrees to creation of a TIF for .

With a TIF, government entities -- in this case, the district, the township, and Northampton County -- agree to forgo tax revenue in the short term to get increased revenue down the road.

In return, the developer of the interchange -- -- agrees to give the school district 1.5 percent of all net land sales within the TIF property. The deal caps those contributions to the district at $4 million.

It's similar to the deal Chrin last month, giving the county its own 1.5 percent cut of land sales, capped at $2 million, to be used to fund farmland preservation projects.

Chrin's deal with the school district will fund an educational foundation for the schools. It also creates a committee that will evaluate education and job training programs with TIF businesses.

The $33 million, 700-acre interchange project is expected to include commercial and industrial properties. 

The school board approved the TIF in August, but had  last month after the deal with the county came to light. But at Wednesday's meeting, board President Kerry Myers had nothing but good things to say about Charles Chrin.

"This is a done deal," Myers said. "I'll sign the document, and he'll have it in his hands tomorrow morning."

This was the last board meeting for Myers, and for several other board members: Patricia Fisher, Jodi Hess, Millie Mandarino and Frank Castrovinci, who was appointed earlier this year.

Superintendent Susan McGinley thanked them for their service. Myers thanked his colleagues for "dealing with my hotheadedness…and my levelheadedness" over the years.

The board meets again Dec. 1, when it will reorganize and