{"id":223112,"date":"2026-06-19T11:56:07","date_gmt":"2026-06-19T11:56:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/223112\/"},"modified":"2026-06-19T11:56:07","modified_gmt":"2026-06-19T11:56:07","slug":"legislation-to-open-allentown-nizs-tax-records-adds-business-program","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/223112\/","title":{"rendered":"Legislation to open Allentown NIZ’s tax records adds business program"},"content":{"rendered":"

Another attempt will be made in the Pennsylvania Legislature to allow independent auditors to access tax information in Allentown\u2019s Neighborhood Improvement Zone. Included this time around is a section to enhance small businesses in the unique tax subsidy district.<\/p>\n

State Sen. Nick Miller, D-Lehigh, said he will introduce legislation \u201cthat will enhance transparency, accountability and small business development\u201d in the NIZ, which includes an area along Hamilton Street in the downtown and the Lehigh riverfront.<\/p>\n

State Rep. Ana Tiburcio, D-Lehigh, will introduce a companion bill in the House of Representatives. The NIZ is part of both Miller\u2019s and Tiburcio\u2019s districts.<\/p>\n

In 2025, Senate Bill 367 was introduced<\/a> by Sen. Jarrett Coleman, R-Lehigh, and co-sponsored by Miller. It passed unanimously, but stalled in a House committee.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs a lifelong Allentown resident, former Allentown School Board member and someone who has invested in and owned real estate in our city, I understand both the importance of economic growth and the responsibility that comes with public trust,\u201d Miller said. \u201cI have seen how strategic investment can strengthen neighborhoods, create jobs, and bring vacant properties back to life.<\/p>\n

\u201cI also believe successful economic development programs need to be transparent, accountable, and deliver opportunities for the entire community.\u201d<\/p>\n

Opening the books on the NIZ has been a goal for Coleman since he took office in January 2023. He was not available for comment Thursday afternoon.<\/p>\n

Unlike previous bills, this one will have a component to enhance small businesses in the NIZ with an assistance program. Miller said it\u2019s similar to programs in the City Revitalization and Improvement Zone.<\/p>\n

For instance, the CRIZ in Lancaster has a small-business financial assistance program, which provides grants of up to $25,000 and loans of up to $100,000. In a memo, Miller said he wants to replicate the program in the NIZ.<\/p>\n

Like Coleman\u2019s 2025 bill, this bill would enable the statutorily required audits of local tax transfers. It specifically gives the independent auditor for the NIZ contracting authority \u2014 the Allentown Neighborhood Improvement Zone Development Authority \u2014 access to a qualified NIZ business\u2019s state and local tax information to conduct these audits.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis legislation builds on the NIZ\u2019s success by strengthening oversight while expanding opportunities for local entrepreneurs and small businesses to grow,\u201d Miller said. \u201cOur goal is simple: ensure this program continues to work for the entire community and remains worthy of the public\u2019s trust.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe must remain focused on policies that strengthen our community and deliver real results,\u201d Tiburcio said. \u201cThe transparency measures we\u2019re proposing will add accountability while creating new opportunities for small businesses to grow and reach their full potential.\u201d<\/p>\n

Unlike the previous bill, the new one doesn\u2019t include any changes to the ANIZDA board membership. The 2025 bill would have changed the board to three members appointed by the mayor, one each by the three state representatives representing Allentown and one each by the two state senators, with a third selected by the senators jointly.<\/p>\n

In April, ANIZDA said business in the NIZ generated $117.8 million<\/a> in tax revenue last year, about a 14% increase from the $103.5 million generated in 2024.<\/p>\n

The new legislation has yet to receive a bill number in either chamber of the Legislature.<\/p>\n

Morning Call reporter Evan Jones can be reached at ejones@mcall.com.<\/p>\n

This story will be updated.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Another attempt will be made in the Pennsylvania Legislature to allow independent auditors to access tax information in…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":223113,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[119,121,120,433,157,182,139,28,12534,50,432],"class_list":["post-223112","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-allentown","tag-allentown","tag-allentown-headlines","tag-allentown-news","tag-lehigh-county","tag-lehigh-valley","tag-local-news","tag-news","tag-pennsylvania","tag-pennsylvania-senate","tag-politics","tag-top-stories-tmc"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/223112","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=223112"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/223112\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/223113"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=223112"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=223112"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=223112"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}