Video

AICP CM Credit #9296703

The Innovative Cities Lecture Series

“Developing with TIF: Innovative Practices and Lessons Learned” presentation by Patrick Schloss, Economic Development Executive Director for the City of West Allis, and Julie Emslie, Economic Development Administrator for the City of LaCrosse.

Lecture Summary:

Tax Incremental Financing (TIF) is one of the most influential, effective tools that municipalities have to realize change and spur (re)development within their communities – yet it’s also one of the most confusing. In this lecture, Julie Emslie and Patrick Schloss will begin with but ultimately go beyond the basics of TIF. They will address lessons learned in utilizing the tool in West Allis and LaCrosse, and they will highlight specific projects in which an innovative use of TIF brought about transformation in and created long-term value for their communities.

BIO:

Patrick Schloss is the Economic Development Executive Director for the City of West Allis as well as the Vice President of the First Ring of Industrial Redevelopment Enterprise, Inc. (F.I.R.E). With over 25 years of experience in economic development, Patrick is actively engaged in redevelopment projects for an urban city that involves the deployment of multiple federal, state, and local funding sources and programs. Patrick also serves as the Vice President of a successful Community Development Entity called First-Ring Industrial Redevelopment Enterprise, Inc. (F.I.R.E.), whose efforts have included allocating over $353 million in New Market Tax Credits to support regional economic growth in Milwaukee, Racine, and Kenosha Counties. Additionally, Schloss currently services on the Vice Chair of the Board of Wisconsin Business Development, Inc. and is a Past President of WEDA. Patrick received a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Marquette University.

Julie Emslie is the Economic Development Administrator for the City of La Crosse. Her work brings her to the helm of directing projects and teams that labor to support businesses and effect positive development across the city. Julie previously worked for the Wisconsin Women’s Business Initiative (WWBIC) helping small businesses thrive, and in 2022 she was nominated as a Rising Star by the 7 Rivers Alliance. Prior to moving to Wisconsin, she lived in Alaska where she divided her time between her family’s remote homestead in the Alaskan bush, and Fairbanks, where she worked as a Project Manager for the Fairbanks Economic Development Corporation.

Julie is an active community member and has served in a variety of volunteer roles, such as the Chair of both the Fairbanks Young Professionals Council and Viroqua Area Montessori School Governance Council, Vernon Economic Development Association board member, Viroqua Business Park Commissioner, and she currently volunteers with the Vernon County Teen Court, a restorative justice program. Julie holds a Master of Arts in Rural Development from the University of Alaska-Fairbanks through the Peace Corps Masters International program, and she earned a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Olivet Nazarene University.

AICP-CM credits will be awarded.

Questions, comments?

All lectures are free and open to planners, students, staff, faculty, and friends of the University. Please contact Blythe Waldbillig, Department of Urban Planning Project Assistant at waldbil5@uwm.edu