Local Financial and Technical Assistance Programs

Local Programs- city, county and regional programs including loans and tax abatement programs for job creation and capital investment.

Tax Increment Financing (TIF)

City councils or county boards of supervisors may use the property taxes resulting from the increase in taxable valuation due to construction of new industrial or commercial facilities to provide economic development incentives to a business or industry. Tax increment financing may be used to pay the cost of public improvements and utilities, which will serve the new private development, to finance direct grants or loans to a company, or to provide a local match for federal or state economic development assistance programs. TIF does not increase a company's property taxes, but it allocates virtually all of the taxes, which are paid back to the city or county, where they may be spent to benefit the company.

Iowa law allows cities and counties to abate local property taxes for value-added to industrial real estate. The maximum amount of actual value-added at a new or expanded facility, which is eligible to be exempt from taxation, is:

  Year One:      75%
  Year Two:      60%
  Year Three:   45%
  Year Four:     30%
  Year Five:     15%

Southeast Iowa Regional Planning Commission administers a loan fund available to qualified businesses in Lee County. The Revolving Loan Fund (RLF) assists eligible businesses in retaining and creating private sector job opportunities. Approved applications may acquire funds for initial loans, or for loans to buy down the principal or interest on commercial loans. The maximum (RLF) loan is $125,000, at lower than conventional interest rates.

The Fort Madison Revolving Loan Fund is used to make low interest loans (4%) for gap financing to qualifying individuals, partnerships, or corporations that want to start a new business in Fort Madison. The fund is specifically targeted toward commercial and service sector proposals, and is administered through the Southeast Iowa Regional Planning Commission (SEIRPC). The city forged a public-private partnership with SEIRPC, the Fort Madison Chamber of Commerce and local banks to establish this fund. The Fund was capitalized with $200,000 from the city's gaming revenues. The city's investment has leveraged $800,000 in low interest loan money pledged by four different banks. Local banks are the primary lenders for the business start-ups. As loan payments are made, and monies are repaid to the pool, the fund revolves back out to other candidates for the program.

Eligibility is based on the following:

Financial Assistance:

The Targeted Jobs Withholding Tax Credit Pilot Program is a new pilot program enacted in 2006 which allows the diversion of withholding funds paid by an employer to be matched by a designated "pilot" city to create economic incentives that can be directed toward the growth and expansion of targeted businesses located within Urban Renewal areas.
An approved "pilot" city may enter into a withholding agreement:

For purposes of this program, a targeted job is defined as a job with a business that is or will be located in an urban renewal area of a designated "pilot" city that pays a minimum wage equal to the county-wide average wage. A "pilot" city entering into a withholding agreement is required to provide a $1 match for every withholding dollar received. This match can be provided by a private donor, the "pilot" city, the employer, or a combination of all three; and can be either in the form of cash or in-kind contributions to be used for the project. The withholding agreement allows an amount of up to three (3) percent of the gross wages paid by the business to be directed to the "pilot" city on a quarterly basis. All designated withholding funds and those pledged by the "pilot" city are required to be used for an urban renewal project related to the employer pursuant to the terms of the withholding agreement. A "pilot" city must obtain approval of the project from the Department of Economic Development prior to the execution of any withholding agreement. The maximum term of a withholding agreement is ten years.

Opportunity Zones
The Tax Cut and Jobs Act of 2017 established a new economic tax incentive called Opportunity Zones. The incentive is designed to encourage long-term, private investments in low-income census tracts by providing a federal tax incentive for taxpayers who reinvest unrealized capital gains into Opportunity Funds, which are then invested into opportunity zones. Opportunity Funds are specialized tax vehicles dedicated to low-income areas and aimed at spurring investment and entrepreneurialism. Ultimately, that will result in business creation and economic prosperity in areas called Opportunity Zones. The zones must be comprised of Low-Income Community Census Tracts (LIC), designated by governors in every state and territory. Census tracts with a poverty rate of 20 percent or greater and/or family income less than 80 percent of the area’s median income are eligible for consideration. Fort Madison has one qualifying census tract which includes our Park to Park Historic & Riverfront Business Districts (2nd St to 18th St) following US Highway 61 west (south side of highway is included) through the city pulling in our industrial area.

The Small Business Reauthorization Act of 1997 included a new program, the HUBZone Empowerment program. The HUBZone Empowerment Contracting Program stimulates economic development and creates jobs in urban and rural communities by providing contracting proferences to small businesses that are located in a HUBZone and that hire employees who live in a HUBZone. Lee County, and its communities all qualify under to HUBZone Empowerment Program because of the unemployment rate.