AUBURN – Two tax deals that help to promote retail development around the Auburn Mall got the state’s stamp of approval Tuesday.

The Maine Department of Economic and Community Development gave its final approval to Auburn TIFs numbers 13 and 14, the two newest tax incentive plans created by the City Council.

“There never was a question of whether those TIFs would be approved,” said Roland Miller, city economic development director. “We’ve been working along and planning for every contingency. But it’s good to get them clarified and processed once and for all.”

The city met with bidders for work on the Turner Street and Mount Auburn Avenue improvement project Thursday, and Miller said that work should begin some time in April.

The money from one of those TIFs will pay for much of that work.

“Right now, getting that project launched is our big thing,” Miller said.

TIF 13 takes property taxes from the area around Kohl’s and the Mt. Auburn Plaza developments and returns part of that to developer George Schott. Remaining property taxes are set aside to pay for the road work along Turner Street and Mount Auburn Avenue. That includes building three rotary traffic circles along Turner Street.

TIF 14 sets aside property tax revenue from the Auburn Mall itself and returns that Schott. Schott plans to renovate the aging 300,000-square-foot mall as well as build 130,000 square feet of new retail space around the mall. The TIF incentive plan would refund Schott $3.3 million of property taxes paid over the next 15 years.

The state has not given an answer on two older deals, both created in 2002. One is designed to pay for a downtown parking garage at Great Falls Plaza. The other is designed to collect $6 million over 20 years to pay for road improvements around the mall, Mount Auburn Avenue and Turner Street.

Miller said the slow state approval on the older mall area TIF won’t hurt the road project.

“It does create a situation where we need to be pretty careful the first year, to make sure we have adequate revenue to pay for the work,” he said. “But after the first year, there will be plenty. That concern doesn’t come into a play again.”

Miller said he’s continuing to work with the state on gaining approval for the older TIFs.

“We just keep doing what we can,” he said. “But we’re prepared, no matter what happens.”