RDA Use Conflicts with the Intent of the Statute. Use of the Neighborhood Development Act for economic development of communities is not the intent of the statute. Current use, while within the open wording of the statute, has created controversy and conflict. Competition between RDAs operating as true redevelopment agencies and RDAs operating as economic development agencies places the former at a distinct disad- vantage. Blight criteria becomes almost unnecessary but is expensive to collect.
Eminent domain is used for community tax base gains rather than the elimination of true blight.
A separation of statutes may be in order. Redevelopment Funding Affects Other Taxing Districts. Funding for redevelopment primarily depends on the expected property tax gains created by RDA-initiated projects. Property taxes, however, are usually the domain of school programs and other specific taxing entities. When TIF is generated as a result of redevel- opment it is accepted by the other taxing entities as the cost to get the community economically stable.