The Crothersville Town Council recently appointed two new members to the redevelopment commission.

The nominations of Alisa Sweazy and Jamy Greathouse received unanimous approval. Greathouse also is a member of the town council, so he abstained from voting on the motion made for his appointment.

President Lenvel "Butch" Robinson, who has been a member of the commission since it was established in the fall of 2016, approached the council about the appointments following the resignations of Rick Strong and Geoffrey Walker at the beginning of the year.

The other members are Charles Densford, Jason Hillenburg and Dale Schmelzle. Hillenburg also is a member of the town council, and Schmelzle, president of the Crothersville Community School Corp. board of trustees, serves as a nonvoting adviser.

For now, the commission only meets once a year in January to elect officers.

Shortly after being established, the commission had its first meeting to create a map outlining a tax increment financing district in Crothersville. That tool is designed to redirect property tax funds coming from new and future developments to finance redevelopment and community improvement projects. It’s a way to get revenue without increasing property taxes.

A redevelopment commission’s work involves identifying blighted areas, designating redevelopment areas, developing plans to eliminate blight and working in partnership with private industry and developers to generate new economic development with increased tax base and new jobs.