Category: Wichita city government
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Wichita petition effort successful
A petition drive to force action on a Wichita charter ordinance has gathered enough signatures, according to the election office.
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Wichita should reject tax increment financing
Wichita should reject tax increment financing for the good of the entire city.
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Wichita petition drive nears end
Wichita city leaders ought to take notice that citizens are so opposed to their actions that they will venture out in winter to gather signatures in opposition.
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TIF and other subsidies harm Wichita
Everyone who cares about Wichita — the entire city, not just special interests — ought to be opposed to the continued use of tax increment financing (TIF) districts and other forms of subsidy that direct benefits to a small group at the expense of everyone else.
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Tax increment financing: The right tool for Wichita jobs?
Tax Increment Financing (TIF) is an economic development tool that uses the expected growth (or increment) in property tax revenues from a designated geographic area of a municipality to finance bonds used to pay for goods and services calculated to spur growth in the TIF district. The analysis performed for this study found TIF does…
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Giving away the store to get a store
Wichita will again chase the dream of “something for nothing” when it considers establishing a tax increment financing, or TIF, district at its December 6th meeting. The following article explains why this is a bad idea.
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The government-as-business myth
Government officials, including those in Wichita, may believe they are operating government like a business. But that can’t happen.
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At Wichita City Council, a big company asks for a forgivable loan
Johnson Controls, a very large company, asks the Wichita City Council for a small forgivable loan.
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Courtyard Hotel up again for tax breaks
The request for tax breaks by an Old Town Wichita hotel raises several questions of public policy, and illustrates the need for pay-to-play laws in Wichita.
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Wichita city council: substance and process
The Wichita City Council and city hall bureaucrats have shown that they are willing to follow the letter of the law, but following the spirit and substance of the law, especially regarding public hearings and citizen involvement, remains a challenge for the city.
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Ken-Mar TIF district, the bailouts
Circumstances surrounding the Ken-Mar shopping center in northeast Wichita illustrate how inappropriate it is for the city to serve as either entrepreneur or partner with entrepreneurs, and is another lesson in how Wichita needs pay-to-play laws.
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Wichita City Council campaign contributions and Douglas Place/Ambassador Hotel
Making contributions to candidates for political office is part of the American political process. But for the Wichita City Council, we see a troubling trend of contributions made by people who also ask the council for money.