Tag: Jim Skelton
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Wichita Pachyderm speaker lineup set
The Wichita Pachyderm Club has released its lineup of speakers for the upcoming month. Everyone is welcome to attend Wichita Pachyderm Club meetings.
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Wichita Bowllagio hearing produces only delay
Yesterday’s meeting of the Wichita City Council featured a lengthy public hearing for a proposed west-side entertainment development known as Bowllagio. Bowllagio is planned to have a bowling and entertainment center, a boutique hotel, and a restaurant owned by a celebrity television chef.
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Wichita city council signals possible change in economic development incentive policy
At today’s meeting of the Wichita City Council, discussion by council members and their vote may signal a change in the city’s stance toward economic development incentives.
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Wichita city council discusses economic development incentives, again
At this week’s meeting of the WichitaCity Council, underperforming companies that have received economic incentives was at issue.
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Goody Clancy proposal for Downtown Wichita revitalization master plan
Last Friday a selection committee selected one company from four finalists to lead the planning effort for the revitalization of downtown Wichita. If some city leaders had their way, citizens of Wichita wouldn’t be able to see this document until after the city council makes a decision to follow — or not — the recommendation…
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Janet Miller’s junket follow-up
At Tuesday’s meeting of the Wichita City Council, I asked a question about council member Janet Miller and her travel and got a bigger response — from the mayor, the Wichita Eagle, and the public — than I expected. Some issues are still unresolved, however.
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Wichita election results equal status quo, worse
The result of yesterday’s elections in Wichita is an endorsement for the status quo. For those interested in liberty, free markets, and education in Wichita, the election was a total disaster.
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Wichita City Arts tech studio proposed
Randy Roebuck, in a presentation at the Wichita city council workshop, promoted the idea of a “digital oasis” in Wichita. It would be a place where people can go to get free help with technologies such as cell phones and computers
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Wichita’s Faulty Due Diligence
In the Wichita city council meeting on December 2, 2008, council member Jim Skelton questioned Allen Bell, Wichita’s director of urban development, about developers the city is considering working with on a TIF district. Specifically, Skelton asked if there was anything in the backgound of the developers that the council should be concerned about. Bell…
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Wichita Penalizes Companies Through Taxation
Five years ago, the City of Wichita granted Big Dog Motorcycles industrial revenue bonds (IRB). The benefit of these bonds is that the company escapes paying property tax (and often sales tax) on the property purchased with the proceeds from the bonds. At the December 2, 2008 meeting of the Wichita City Council, the council…
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Wichita TIF public hearing was bait and switch
The officials involved — council members Jeff Longwell and Lavonta Williams, who negotiated the addition of the parking with county commissioners; Allen Bell, who is Wichita’s director of urban development; and Mayor Carl Brewer — need to answer to the citizens of Wichita as to why this important business was conducted in this haphazard manner…
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Jim Skelton is Frustrated
At yesterday’s meeting of the Wichita City Council, council member Jim Skelton expressed his frustration with last-minute additions to the plan for the Center City South Redevelopment tax increment financing (TIF) District, commonly known as the downtown Wichita arena TIF district. The problem is two-fold: First, when plans change at the last minute, there is…