Section 40-58-02 - Findings and declarations of necessity1. It is hereby found and declared that there exist in municipalities of the state slum and blighted areas which constitute a serious and growing menace, injurious to the public health, safety, morals, and welfare of the residents of the state; that the existence of these areas contributes substantially and increasingly to the spread of disease and crime, constitutes an economic and social liability, substantially impairs or arrests the sound growth of municipalities, retards the provision of housing accommodations, aggravates traffic problems, and substantially impairs or arrests the elimination of traffic hazards and the improvement of traffic facilities; and that the prevention and elimination of slums and blight is a matter of state policy and state concern in order that the state and its municipalities do not continue to be endangered by areas which are focal centers of disease, promote juvenile delinquency, and, while contributing little to the tax income of the state and its municipalities, consume an excessive proportion of its revenues because of the extra services required for police, fire, accident, hospitalization, and other forms of public protection, services, and facilities. It is further found and declared that certain slum or blighted areas, or portions thereof, may require acquisition, clearance, and disposition subject to use restrictions, as provided in this chapter, since the prevailing condition of decay may make impracticable the reclamation of the area by conservation or rehabilitation; that other areas or portions thereof may, through the means provided in this chapter, be susceptible of conservation or rehabilitation in such a manner that the conditions and evils described in this section may be eliminated, remedied, or prevented; and that to the extent feasible salvable slum and blighted areas should be conserved and rehabilitated through voluntary action and the regulatory process.2. It is further found and declared that there exist in municipalities of the state conditions of unemployment, underemployment, and joblessness detrimental to the economic growth of the state economy; that it is appropriate to implement economic development programs both desirable and necessary to eliminate the causes of unemployment, underemployment, and joblessness for the benefit of the state economy; and that tax increment financing is an economic development program designed to facilitate projects that create economic growth and development.