As used in sections 99.1080 to 99.1092, unless the context clearly requires otherwise, the following terms shall mean:

(1) “Baseline year”, the calendar year prior to the adoption of an ordinance by the municipality approving a redevelopment project; provided, however, if local sales tax revenues or state sales tax revenues, from businesses other than any out-of-state business or businesses locating in the redevelopment project area, decrease in the redevelopment project area in the year following the year in which the ordinance approving a redevelopment project is approved by a municipality, the baseline year may, at the option of the municipality approving the redevelopment project, be the year following the year of the adoption of the ordinance approving the redevelopment project. When a redevelopment project area is located within a county for which public and individual assistance has been requested by the governor under Section 401 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act, 42 U.S.C. § 5121, et seq., for an emergency proclaimed by the governor under section 44.100 due to a natural disaster of major proportions and the redevelopment project area is a central business district that sustained severe damage as a result of such natural disaster, as determined by the state emergency management agency, the baseline year may, at the option of the municipality approving the redevelopment project, be the calendar year in which the natural disaster occurred or the year following the year in which the natural disaster occurred, provided that the municipality adopts an ordinance approving the redevelopment project within one year after the occurrence of the natural disaster;

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(2) “Blighted area”, the same meaning as defined pursuant to section 99.805;

(3) “Central business district”, the area at or near the historic core that is locally known as the “downtown” of a municipality that has a median household income of sixty-two thousand dollars or less, according to the United States Census Bureau’s American Community Survey, based on the most recent of five-year period estimate data in which the final year of the estimate ends in either zero or five. In addition, at least fifty percent of existing buildings in this area will have been built in excess of thirty-five years prior or vacant lots that had prior structures built in excess of thirty-five years prior to the adoption of the ordinance approving the redevelopment plan. The historical land use emphasis of a central business district prior to redevelopment will have been a mixed use of business, commercial, financial, transportation, government, and multifamily residential uses;

(4) “Conservation area”, any improved area within the boundaries of a redevelopment area located within the territorial limits of a municipality in which fifty percent or more of the structures in the area have an age of thirty-five years or more, and such an area is not yet a blighted area but is detrimental to the public health, safety, morals, or welfare and may become a blighted area because of any one or more of the following factors: dilapidation; obsolescence; deterioration; illegal use of individual structures; presence of structures below minimum code standards; abandonment; excessive vacancies; overcrowding of structures and community facilities; lack of ventilation, light or sanitary facilities; inadequate utilities; excessive land coverage; deleterious land use or layout; depreciation of physical maintenance; and lack of community planning;

(5) “Gambling establishment”, an excursion gambling boat as defined in section 313.800 and any related business facility including any real property improvements which are directly and solely related to such business facility, whose sole purpose is to provide goods or services to an excursion gambling boat and whose majority ownership interest is held by a person licensed to conduct gambling games on an excursion gambling boat or licensed to operate an excursion gambling boat as provided in sections 313.800 to 313.850;

(6) “Local sales tax increment”, at least fifty percent of the local sales tax revenue from taxes that are imposed by a municipality and its county, and that are generated by economic activities within a redevelopment area over the amount of such taxes generated by economic activities within such a redevelopment area in the calendar year prior to the adoption of the ordinance designating such a redevelopment area while financing under sections 99.1080 to 99.1092 remains in effect, but excluding personal property taxes, taxes imposed on sales or charges for sleeping rooms paid by transient guests of hotels and motels, licenses, fees, or special assessments; provided however, the governing body of any county may, by resolution, exclude any portion of any countywide sales tax of such county. For redevelopment projects or redevelopment plans approved after August 28, 2005, if a retail establishment relocates within one year from one facility within the same county and the governing body of the municipality finds that the retail establishment is a direct beneficiary of tax increment financing, then for the purposes of this subdivision, the economic activity taxes generated by the retail establishment shall equal the total additional revenues from economic activity taxes that are imposed by a municipality or other taxing district over the amount of economic activity taxes generated by the retail establishment in the calendar year prior to its relocation to the redevelopment area;

(7) “Local sales tax revenue”, city sales tax revenues received under sections 94.500 to 94.550 and county sales tax revenues received under sections 67.500 to 67.594;

(8) “Major initiative”, a development project within a central business district which promotes tourism, cultural activities, arts, entertainment, education, research, arenas, multipurpose facilities, libraries, ports, mass transit, museums, economic development, or conventions for the municipality, and where the capital investment within the redevelopment project area is:

(a) At least five million dollars for a project area within a city having a population of one hundred thousand to one hundred ninety-nine thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine inhabitants;

(b) At least one million dollars for a project area within a city having a population of fifty thousand to ninety-nine thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine inhabitants;

(c) At least five hundred thousand dollars for a project area within a city having a population of ten thousand to forty-nine thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine inhabitants; or

(d) At least two hundred fifty thousand dollars for a project area within a city having a population of one to nine thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine inhabitants;

(9) “Municipality”, any city or county of this state having fewer than two hundred thousand inhabitants;

(10) “Obligations”, bonds, loans, debentures, notes, special certificates, or other evidences of indebtedness issued by the municipality or authority, or other public entity authorized to issue such obligations under sections 99.1080 to 99.1092 to carry out a redevelopment project or to refund outstanding obligations;

(11) “Ordinance”, an ordinance enacted by the governing body of any municipality;

(12) “Redevelopment area”, an area designated by a municipality in respect to which the municipality has made a finding that there exist conditions which cause the area to be classified as a blighted area or a conservation area, which area shall have the following characteristics:

(a) It can be renovated through one or more redevelopment projects;

(b) It is located in the central business district;

(c) The redevelopment area shall not exceed ten percent of the entire geographic area of the municipality. Subject to the limitation set forth in this subdivision, the redevelopment area can be enlarged or modified as provided in section 99.1088;

(13) “Redevelopment plan”, the comprehensive program of a municipality to reduce or eliminate those conditions which qualify a redevelopment area as a blighted area or a conservation area, and to thereby enhance the tax bases of the taxing districts which extend into the redevelopment area through the reimbursement, payment, or other financing of redevelopment project costs in accordance with sections 99.1080 to 99.1092 and through application for and administration of downtown revitalization preservation program financing under sections 99.1080 to 99.1092;

(14) “Redevelopment project”, any redevelopment project within a redevelopment area which constitutes a major initiative in furtherance of the objectives of the redevelopment plan, and any such redevelopment project shall include a legal description of the area selected for such redevelopment project;

(15) “Redevelopment project area”, the area located within a redevelopment area selected for a redevelopment project;

(16) “Redevelopment project costs” include such costs to the redevelopment plan or a redevelopment project, as applicable, which are expended on public property, buildings, or rights-of-way for public purposes to provide infrastructure to support a redevelopment project, including facades. Such costs shall only be allowed as an initial expense which, to be recoverable, must be included in the costs of a redevelopment plan or redevelopment project, except in circumstances of plan amendments approved by the department of economic development. Such infrastructure costs include, but are not limited to, the following:

(a) Costs of studies, appraisals, surveys, plans, and specifications;

(b) Professional service costs, including, but not limited to, architectural, engineering, legal, marketing, financial, planning, or special services;

(c) Property assembly costs, including, but not limited to, acquisition of land and other property, real or personal, or rights or interests therein, demolition of buildings, and the clearing and grading of land;

(d) Costs of rehabilitation, reconstruction, repair, or remodeling of existing public buildings and fixtures;

(e) Costs of construction of public works or improvements;

(f) Financing costs, including, but not limited to, all necessary expenses related to the issuance of obligations issued to finance all or any portion of the infrastructure costs of one or more redevelopment projects, and which may include capitalized interest on any such obligations and reasonable reserves related to any such obligations;

(g) All or a portion of a taxing district’s capital costs resulting from any redevelopment project necessarily incurred or to be incurred in furtherance of the objectives of the redevelopment plan, to the extent the municipality by written agreement accepts and approves such infrastructure costs;

(h) Payments to taxing districts on a pro rata basis to partially reimburse taxes diverted by approval of a redevelopment project when all debt is retired;

(i) State government costs, including, but not limited to, the reasonable costs incurred by the department of economic development and the department of revenue in evaluating an application for and administering downtown revitalization preservation financing for a redevelopment project;

(17) “State sales tax increment”, up to one-half of the incremental increase in the state sales tax revenue in the redevelopment project area provided the local taxing jurisdictions commit one-half of their local sales tax to paying for redevelopment project costs. The incremental increase shall be the amount by which the state sales tax revenue generated at the facility or within the redevelopment project area exceeds the state sales tax revenue generated at the facility or within the redevelopment project area in the baseline year. For redevelopment projects or redevelopment plans approved after August 28, 2005, if a retail establishment relocates within one year from one facility to another facility within the same county and the governing body of the municipality finds that the retail establishment is a direct beneficiary of tax increment financing, then for the purposes of this subdivision, the economic activity taxes generated by the retail establishment shall equal the total additional revenues from economic activity taxes that are imposed by a municipality or other taxing district over the amount of economic activity taxes generated by the retail establishment in the calendar year prior to the relocation to the redevelopment area;

(18) “State sales tax revenues”, the general revenue portion of state sales tax revenues received under section 144.020, excluding sales taxes that are constitutionally dedicated, taxes deposited to the school district trust fund in accordance with section 144.701, sales and use taxes on motor vehicles, trailers, boats and outboard motors and future sales taxes earmarked by law;

(19) “Taxing district’s capital costs”, those costs of taxing districts for capital improvements that are found by the municipal governing bodies to be necessary and to directly result from a redevelopment project;

(20) “Taxing districts”, any political subdivision of this state having the power to levy taxes.