Allen Bell Archives - Voice For Liberty

Apr

Wichita economic development policies questioned

One of the themes of the recent Wichita mayoral campaign was the need to restore trust in city hall. Following, from April 2013, an example of how city hall has created the trust deficit. Although this story was covered nowhere but here, it it exemplary of how Wichita city hall operates. Since then the city's economic development director has retired, but we have the same city manager and nearly all the same council members, with one having moved up to mayor. For an update on this story, see Wichita: No such document. At Tuesday's meeting of the Wichita City Council,…

Errors in Wichita Union Station development proposal

Oct

By Bob Weeks

Errors in Wichita Union Station development proposal

Documents the Wichita City Council will use to evaluate a development proposal contain material errors. Despite the city being aware of the errors for more than one month, they have not been corrected. On August 19, 2014 the Wichita City Council considered an agenda item titled "Resolution Considering the Establishment of the Union Station Redevelopment District, Tax Increment Financing." The purpose of the item was to set October 7, 2014 as the date for the public hearing on the formation of a TIF district. The council passed this resolution. On August 27 Bob Weeks inquired this of Wichita city officials…

‘Transforming Wichita’ a reminder of the value of government promises

Sep

By Bob Weeks

‘Transforming Wichita’ a reminder of the value of government promises

When Wichita voters weigh the plausibility of the city's plans for spending proposed new sales tax revenue, they should remember this is not the first time the city has promised results and accountability. Do you remember Transforming Wichita? According to the city, "Transforming Wichita is the journey by which we are fundamentally changing the way we measure, report and perform the work of delivering services to the citizens of Wichita." In more detail, the city website proclaimed: "TW is the journey by which we will be fundamentally changing the way we deliver services to the citizens of Wichita. Our vision…

Aug

By Bob Weeks

What the Wichita city council could do

While the proposed Wichita city sales tax is a bad idea, the city could do a few things that would not only improve its chance of passage, but also improve local government. This week the Wichita City Council passed an ordinance that starts the process of placing a sales tax measure on the November ballot. The one cent per dollar tax will be used for several initiatives, including an economic development jobs fund. The city will need to gain the trust of citizens if the measure is to have any chance of passage. While I am personally opposed to the…

Apr

By Bob Weeks

Wichita not good for small business

Post by Voice For Liberty. The Wichita Business Journal reports today: When it comes to having good conditions to support small businesses, well, Wichita isn’t exactly at the top of the list, according to a new ranking from The Business Journals. In fact, the Wichita metro area’s small-business vitality score is nearly at the bottom -- 99th out of the 101 U.S. metro areas included in the study. (Wichita near bottom for small-business vitality score, April 2, 2014) Many in Wichita don't want to recognize and confront the bad news about the performance of the Wichita-area economy. Last year, when…

Jan

By Bob Weeks

For Wichita’s economic development machinery, failure

Compared to a broad group of peer metropolitan areas, Wichita performs very poorly. As Wichita embarks upon a new era of economic development, we need to ask who to trust with this important task. The good news: In a recent op-ed, Wichita Mayor Carl Brewer wrote that the city needs to make a decision regarding "A more aggressive approach to job creation." (Carl Brewer: Wichita can have a great next year, December 22, 2013 Wichita Eagle) The bad news: Wichita has performed very poorly in job creation in recent decades, and even if we decide on a more aggressive approach,…

Jan

By Bob Weeks

Wichita’s policymaking on display

When asked to provide documents that establish the city's proclaimed policy, Wichita city hall is not able to do so, leaving us to wonder just how policy is made. At an April meeting of the Wichita City Council, both Urban Development Director Allen Bell and Wichita city manager Robert Layton explained that for downtown projects, the city's policy that the debt service fund must show a cost-benefit ratio of 1.3 to one or better doesn't apply. (Video of Bell explaining this policy is here, and of Layton doing the same, here. Meeting minutes are here.) More about this policy is…

Oct

By Bob Weeks

Wichita economic development not being managed

The Wichita Eagle has reported that Wichita has increased its granting of property tax exemptions in recent years. (Wichita doubles property tax exemptions for businesses, October 20, 2013) Buried in the story is the really important aspect of public policy. In his reporting, Bill Wilson wrote: The Eagle asked the city last week for an accounting of the jobs created over the past decade by the tax abatements, a research project that urban development staffers have yet to complete. “It will take us some time to pull together all the agenda reports on the five-year reviews going back to 2003.…

Apr

By Bob Weeks

Wichita: No such document

When asked to provide documents that establish the city's proclaimed policy, Wichita city hall is not able to do so, leaving us to wonder just how policy is made. At last week's meeting of the Wichita City Council, both Urban Development Director Allen Bell and Wichita city manager Robert Layton explained that for downtown projects, the city's policy that the debt service fund must show a cost-benefit ratio of 1.3 to one or better doesn't apply. (Video of Bell explaining this policy is here, and of Layton doing the same, here. Meeting minutes are here.) More about this policy is…

Apr

By Bob Weeks

In Wichita, economic development policies are questioned

For an update on this story, see Wichita: No such document. At Tuesday's meeting of the Wichita City Council, I was prepared to ask the council to not approve issuance of Industrial Revenue Bonds. My reason, explained here, was that the cost-benefit analysis did not meet the standard the city has established in its economic development incentives policy. At the meeting, though, Urban Development Director Allen Bell and Wichita city manager Robert Layton both explained that for downtown projects, the city's policy that the debt service fund must show a cost-benefit ratio of 1.3 to one or better doesn't apply.…