Tax payment agreements can be complicated, confusing affairs. And the one reached between Irondequoit leaders and developer Scott Congel regarding the redevelopment of Medley Centre is no exception.

Today, town Supervisor Mary Ellen Heyman, as well as East Irondequoit School District Superintendent Susan Allen and Deputy Superintendent for Business John Abbott, announced the terms of the proposal - a payment in lieu of taxes (PILOT) agreement which could be worth $20 million over 30 years, though the figure depends on what Congel owns and develops during that timeframe.

The PILOT is based on the amount of taxes paid last year on the properties that Congel owns. That sum - $322,000 - will be the first-year payment. Every year after that, the sum will increase. If Congel buys more properties, the taxes paid on them the previous year get added into the base figure. In the simplest possible terms, the agreement gives the town more money each year, without penalizing Congel for developing property.

The next level of the PILOT makes the big picture a little more complicated. Once Congel secures financing for the Medley Centre project, he'll pay 2.7 percent of that sum to the town and school district. As it stands, he plans to invest $260 million. If he invests more than that, he'll pay more to the town and the school district.

On top of that, he'll pay the town $250,000 when the PILOT is signed and another $500,000 when the first building permits are issued.

Under the agreement, Congel will also have to meet some targets, or pay penalties. He'll have to invest $90 million within the first two years, for example, and create 1,200 jobs - 500 of which must be full-time - by the 10th year.

The Town Board and School Board will meet separately on Monday to discuss and possibly vote on the proposal. The plan also needs approval from COMIDA, which has scheduled a public hearing for 7 p.m. on Monday, March 16, at Irondequoit Town Hall.