CHAPTER 7. COUNTY COMMISSIONS AND OFFICERS.

ARTICLE 11B. WEST VIRGINIA TAX INCREMENT FINANCING ACT.

§7-11B-18. Payments in lieu of taxes and other revenues.

(a) The county commission or municipality that created the development or redevelopment district shall deposit in the tax increment financing fund of the development or redevelopment district all payments in lieu of taxes received pursuant to any agreement entered into on or subsequent to the date of creation of a development or redevelopment district on tax exempt property located within the development or redevelopment district, and prior to the amendments to this section enacted in the 2021 regular session of the Legislature.

(b) Any real or personal property located within the development or redevelopment district and owned by this state, a political subdivision of this state or an agency or instrumentality thereof may be made subject to a payment in lieu of taxes agreement. The real and personal property subject to a payment in lieu of taxes agreement is deemed public property and exempt from ad valorem property taxation by this state, a political subdivision of this state, an agency or instrumentality thereof or other levying body, so long as it is owned in title by this state, a political subdivision of this state or an agency or instrumentality thereof. The exemption from ad valorem property taxation is applicable to any leasehold or similar interest held by persons other than this state, a political subdivision of this state or an agency or instrumentality thereof, if acquired or constructed with the written agreement of the county school board, county commission and any municipal authority within whose jurisdiction the real and personal property is physically situated.

(c) Any payment in lieu of taxes agreement shall be made between the public entity that owns the property, the lessee of the property who would be making the payment in lieu of taxes and the county school board, county commission and any municipal authority within whose jurisdiction the real or personal property is situate. The payment in lieu of taxes agreement shall provide the amount that shall be paid by the lessee and the amount, if any, that shall be attributable to the base assessed value of the property and the incremental value.

(d) Following the amendments to this section enacted in the 2021 regular session of the Legislature, any portion of the payment in lieu of taxes attributable in the payment in lieu of tax agreement to the incremental value shall be deposited in the tax increment financing fund. Following the amendments to this section enacted in the 2021 regular session of the Legislature, the remaining portion of the in lieu payment shall be distributed among the levying bodies as follows:

(1) The portion of the in lieu tax payment attributable to the base value of the property shall be distributed to the levying bodies in the same manner as taxes attributable in the payment in lieu of tax agreement to the base value of other property in the district are distributed; and

(2) The portions of the in lieu tax payment attributable in the payment in lieu of tax agreement to levies for bonded indebtedness and excess levies shall be distributed in the same manner as those levies on other property in the district are distributed.

(e) Other revenues to be derived from the development or redevelopment district may also be deposited in the tax increment financing fund at the direction of the county commission.