Sunday, July 12, 2009

To TIF or not to TIF

That is the question in my story Sat. about a new attitide toward tax increment financing on the AC commission

17 comments:

onestone said...

If you want new retail and industries to come to A.C. then you are going to give them an incentive to come. It is called change. It hasn't cost the tax payers of Branson and they have all kinds of TIFS and lots of new development.

Anonymous said...

Branson to Ark City is not apples to apples they are a tourist trap catering to retail only. TIF’s have a very high failure rate in fact Kansas City has put a moratorium on them because they have had so many failures.

Furthermore Lowe’s was not and will not ever come to AC no mater what the ACI voting block (Jay Pat Gene & Steve) say

Anonymous said...

It is obvious from the change to the City Council that the people have spoken.

Anonymous said...

It is likely to do absolutely nothing now with the economy as it is. That is a good thing. If it is put in place now, It will be available when the economy does rebound. It will permit AC to grow when other towns do.

AC should be pro-active on this and not be stuck with playing a "day late a dollar short" as it has in the past.

Anonymous said...

They served many mugs of ACI Kool-Aid

Drink up

Anonymous said...

Does anyone have any facts we can look up about the so called moratorium on TIFs in Kansas City? From what I've heard the TIF is just a way to allocate the new taxes generated. The only problem I could see is who and how they borrow against the TIF.

If you have anything we can look up on the internet about Kansas City it would most certainly be appreciated.

Likewise, if anyone has any information about the TIF itself being a problem - as opposed to the borrowing against the TIF - I would be grateful for that as well.

Anonymous said...

You ACI conspiracy theorists crack me up. Why don't you explain to all of us uninformed masses exactly what evil doings they are up to, and please include how you came to be so knowledgeable about it.

Thanks.

Boss Hog said...

The rich get richer and the poor have to continue to work hard for a living. It would be different if the members of ACI had to work to earn their money but most of them have been given everything from the get-go. Sybrants - Old money, Warren - Inherited oil and property from papa, Browns - need we say more?

Boss Hog -
Come on Roscoe get the car and lets get the he!! out, its going to get deep!

Anonymous said...

Who cares? It doesn't affect me who has how much, and I don't have to leave town to shop. So someone lucked into money...good for them - it happens.

You didn't, and you are bitter. Sucks to be you.

Anonymous said...

Boss Hogg and the ACI conspiracy theorists,

If you were lucky enough to have been left gobs of money, or land, or a business, by your parents, I'm sure you'd have given it to charity and started over with nothing, right?

Some people are born with a silver spoon. It happens. Do they get as much of my respect as someone who pulled themselves up by their bootstraps? No. But it doesn't help to be bitter about it. And it doesn't mean they are up to no good.

Anonymous said...

This town resents people that have money. Did any of you poor people ever think for one minute that those "rich" people work hard too. They get out of bed at 5:30 a.m. and work until 7 p.m. six days or more a week. They volunteer time, money, and support to every project, community event, child going to play ball in some foreign nation. They are not out to get richer. They are out to see this community get better.

Get over this horrendous attitude or you will lose every good thing this town has whether it be for the rich or the poor. We are all in this together and we will gain or lose together. I am sick to death of this attitude of penalizing the town for fear that someone might make a dime. So what...isn't that the nature of free enterprise. Isn't that what this town, state and nation were built upon. If you want everyone to be equal there are plenty of places you can go live.

Anonymous said...

Anonymous said...
"rich" people work hard too. They get out of bed at 5:30 a.m. and work until 7 p.m. six days or more a week. "

I am guessing it's 8 days per week they work. And walked to school in waist deep snow with no shoes and a sweater even though it was -13 degrees.

Poor people rode the bus with ehat and only had to get up a minute or two before the bus arrived. They slept through classes and now wonder why they are the poor people.

Will we ever get beyond this single world view mentality of Ark City. You make good points and then go to teh same bogus extreme of inviting anyone who disagrees to move to another continent.

Maybe those other continents offer room for a dissenting opinion?

Anonymous said...

You all that think that Mr. Warren and Mr. Sybrant are rich need to go up to Wichita and walk around Bradly Fair. If you talk to some people maybe you will find some real rich people.

Mr. Brown may be somewhat mildly rich. But he does not live in AC really he lives in Arizona most of the time.

Get over it and try to earn some money yourself, and not spend it.

Anonymous said...

Many many towns either Tif or do some sort of tax breaks or development incentives. Most work out ok. One can find a handful that do not and use that to scare others.

It is obvious that Jay, Pat, Gene, and Steve are for developing this community. Mel is not so that things can continue to be in disrepair and he can continue to make money sending his goons out to repair it.

Anonymous said...

The last two posters (5:59, 11:20) nailed it. Those folks may have more $$ than you, but they are not rich. They are, at best, comfortable in the upper-middle class.

And it is always the exception that tests the rule.

Anonymous said...

Forget about who is rich. What do we want? Do we want more stores and more choices or do we want the local stores telling us what we can have in this town? It seems apparent that 2 of the commissioners support the nonprogressive shops downtown and 3 commissioners work for the people.

Anonymous said...

And thank goodness in about a year and a half we'll have a couple more progressive minded people to join those 3.