Contamination could complicate downtown development district

Environmental contamination - both real and perceived - could be an obstacle to the creation of a tax increment finance district in downtown Havre, community leaders said.

In the second meeting to discuss the possibility of creating a tax increment finance district, Bear Paw Development Corp. deputy director Annmarie Robinson on Monday told the group about the risks contamination could pose to a district's success.

A tax increment finance district is an urban renewal tool that allows communities to set aside tax dollars to use for improving an area. Once a district is established, any addition...