Lincoln-Way 210 Backs Mokena Downtown TIF Extension to 2044

Lincoln-Way Community High School District 210 Meeting | May 21, 2026

Article Summary: The Lincoln-Way Community High School District 210 Board of Education on Thursday, May 21, 2026, voted unanimously to support the Village of Mokena’s request for a 12-year legislative extension of its Downtown TIF District, a move district officials estimate will cost the district roughly $17,631 a year in foregone operating tax revenue but could ultimately return a stronger tax base.

Mokena TIF Extension Key Points:

• The board approved a motion to support — not formally authorize — Mokena’s request to the state legislature to extend the Downtown TIF, created in 2009, through 2044.
• District 210 currently foregoes about $17,631 per year from the TIF; the projected cumulative impact over 12 years, assuming 3% annual growth, is $250,220.
• It is the district’s only overlapping TIF district, according to Superintendent Dr. Scott Tingley and Assistant Superintendent Michael Duback.
• Board members secured a commitment from the village to provide annual or semiannual updates on TIF projects and spending.

NEW LENOX — The Lincoln-Way Community High School District 210 Board of Education on Thursday, May 21, 2026, voted unanimously to support the Village of Mokena’s request for a legislative extension of its Downtown TIF District through 2044, after an extended discussion about the financial trade-offs and a village representative’s pitch for downtown redevelopment.

Board President Aaron Janik clarified during the discussion that the action was a statement of support rather than an authorization. “We are not approving” the extension itself, he said, explaining that the decision ultimately rests with the state legislature. The motion was reworded to reflect that the board was supporting the village’s request to lawmakers.

The Mokena Downtown TIF was created in 2009. According to a memo from Duback, the district is currently “foregoing” approximately $17,631 per year in operating property tax revenue from the district. That figure is derived by multiplying the district’s most recent operating tax rate of 1.5311 by the 2025 TIF increment of $1,151,523. Because Mokena requested a 12-year extension, the memo projects a total cumulative financial impact of $250,220 over the period, assuming a 3% annual growth factor, with the year-12 impact projected at $24,395.

Why Mokena Says It Needs More Time

Carl Buck, a representative of the Village of Mokena, told the board the extension is needed because the TIF lost much of its productive life to the recession that followed its 2009 creation. “When the TIF was approved in 2009, we all know we had a recession that was coming on. And so we lost about eight years of productive life of the tiff because the EAV actually went down,” Buck said.

A Will County analysis showed the district’s equalized assessed value rebounded over the remaining years, Buck said. He explained that without the TIF, the area’s EAV would have recovered by roughly $43,000, but with the TIF in place it grew by about $183,000. Packet materials from Mokena Mayor George J. Metanias trace the total EAV from approximately $7.05 million in 2009 down to roughly $6.08 million in 2018 before recovering to about $6.91 million by 2025, with the TIF increment reaching about $1.15 million.

Buck said the village uses TIF money only for public improvements, not aesthetics. He pointed to past projects including the redevelopment of a former gas station with underground storage tanks into the Trib’s brewery building (about $35,000 in village cost), the adaptive reuse of the historic Hatch Hall into Zap Taco (about $40,000), and water-system improvements at the former Paulie’s site, now home to The Dock restaurant with apartments above. He said a 12-year extension would give a newly approved project — a mixed-use restaurant and apartment building on the north side of Front Street — and future developments enough time to make the incentive viable to lenders.

Buck noted that by statute TIF districts run 23 years, and Mokena was requesting roughly half of that. “We’re not asking for that time. We’re asking for about half of that time,” he said.

Board Seeks Regular Updates

Several board members supported the request while pressing for more communication. One board member, who said he is from Mokena and previously served on the village’s park board, expressed support but said, “I didn’t even know that we had this deal in place.” He suggested an annual May meeting inviting Mokena officials to update the board on TIF activity.

Buck agreed, noting the village already files an annual report with the Illinois Comptroller that is audited and holds an annual joint review board meeting with all taxing bodies. “I’m happy to come before the board and give that report as well,” he said. He added that the village files its report within 180 days after its June 1 fiscal year end and offered to appear in the winter.

The board approved the motion to support the Mokena TIF District extension letter as presented. The motion was made by Richard C. LaCien Jr. and seconded by Caitlin Olejnik, and passed unanimously.

According to Duback’s memo, TIF funds are restricted under the Tax Increment Allocation Redevelopment Act to eligible redevelopment costs such as infrastructure, land acquisition, demolition, and engineering studies, and cannot be moved into the village’s operating budget. The memo also notes that if the village declares a surplus or when the TIF expires, unspent funds are returned to the taxing bodies in proportion to their tax rates.