Lamm Rd. TIF: 22 Years, $10 Million Diverted—Where Are the Jobs?
April 17, 2025 - Freeport, IL
In 2003, the City of Freeport established the Lamm Road Tax Increment Financing (TIF) District with a bold goal: attract industrial development and bring back manufacturing jobs lost during the city’s economic downturn.
According to a former member of the 2005 Freeport Planning Commission - Ronda Scott, the district was created specifically to reverse job losses by growing industrial employment. It covered the Lamm Road area from Route 26 (West Avenue) to Walnut Road, including key companies like Seaga Manufacturing, Tri Star Metals, and Honeywell. At the time, Seaga was owned by Steve Chesney.
TIF districts work by freezing the amount of property tax revenue received by local taxing bodies—such as schools, parks, and the county—at pre-TIF levels. Any increase in property tax revenue is diverted into a TIF fund, intended to support development projects within the district. Businesses still pay full property taxes, but the “new” tax money goes to the TIF account instead of public services.
More than $10.1 million has been funneled into the Lamm Rd. TIF since its creation, according to the FY 2023 report. Yet critics argue that the community hasn’t seen the promised job growth—or a clear return on this investment.
Early plans to relocate Menards and Walmart into the district have long since been completed. But despite those projects, residents and city leaders are questioning why the TIF remains active, especially with $3.8 million still sitting in the fund.
Between 2003 and 2010, a number of large expenditures were made from the TIF fund, including:
Menards – $1,474,894
Walmart – $1,012,229
Greater Freeport Partnership – $1,303,456
Tri Star Metals – $475,644
Seaga Manufacturing LLC – $175,000
South Side Shopping Center – $3.7 million
Additional payments were made to contractors, consultants, and developers such as Fehr Graham ($170,156), Michael Curran Consulting ($1,800), Fisher Excavating ($87,596), Ratio Architects, and others. Even the City of Freeport received $306,806 from the TIF fund.
Yet the community impact remains difficult to measure. “We were promised industrial jobs and long-term growth,” said one Freeport resident. “Instead, it feels like we got big-box retail and higher taxes.”
City Manager Rob Boyer recently stated that the city is planning to use part of the remaining TIF funds to construct a lift station to move water to a higher elevation and provide water services to the airport—something never publicly prioritized in the past two decades. Residents and some council members are asking: Why now?
Fifth Ward Alderwoman Cecilia Stacy didn’t hold back, referring to the TIF as a “slush fund” that has long outlived its usefulness. Freeport families are being squeezed by rising property taxes while $3.8 million is held hostage in a fund with no clear job-producing purpose. It’s time to return that money to the taxing bodies and ease the burden on our homeowners.
By law, the Lamm Rd. TIF is set to expire in 2026 unless extended. State law allows TIFs to last up to 45 years, and there’s growing concern the current administration might push for just that.
As the city considers its options, the question remains: Will the Lamm Rd. TIF finally be allowed to expire? Will the remaining $3.8 million be returned to Freeport’s schools, parks, and services? Or will the district be extended into the 2040s, continuing to divert public dollars in hopes of development that may never come?
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