Tag: Subsidy
-
On Wichita’s Exchange Place TIF, Janet Miller speaks
Last week’s meeting of the Wichita City Council featured a message from Council Member Janet Miller that illustrated her firm belief in centralized government planning for the purposes of economic development. It also contained a material mistake in the understanding of the facts of the project.
-
Tax increment financing is not free money
Cato Institute Senior Fellow Randal O’Toole has written extensively on the subject of urban planning, development, and tax increment financing (TIF) districts. The following article contains many points that the Wichita City Council may wish to consider as it considers expansion of a downtown Wichita TIF district at tomorrow’s council meeting.
-
Wichita proposed tax increment financing district subject of news
Today’s Wichita Eagle carries two news stories regarding the proposed expansion of a downtown Wichita tax increment financing (TIF) district. The front-page story Condo vote key to downtown Wichita growth and the additional story Owners report mixed views of developers provided background on the vote the Wichita City Council may make at Tuesday’s 9:00 am…
-
Taxpayer-funded development in Wichita opposed
After the formal presentation I personally complemented the Minnesota Guys and thanked them for what they were doing downtown. They assured me that their redevelopment work in our downtown would be completed without government incentives, and I assured them that they would have my support as long as they stayed out of the public treasury.
-
Tax increment financing questions topic at Wichita city council meeting
On Tuesday the Wichita city council heard a request by Real Development for a $2.5 million increase in tax increment financing on a downtown project. Discussion during the meeting revealed how little is known about the numbers that the city uses in deciding whether to participate in the project. Numbers that don’t make sense, plus…
-
Wichita Exchange Place TIF should be rejected
Tomorrow’s meeting of the Wichita city council will feature a public hearing as to whether a tax increment financing district that benefits Real Development should be modified.
-
Wichita community improvement district questions unanswered
This week the Wichita city council approved the use of Community Improvement Districts. These districts are a new creation of the Kansas legislature from last year.
-
Wichita economic development incentives discussed
At today’s meeting of the Wichita city council, economic development incentives were a topic of discussion.
-
Wichita Warren Theater IRB a TIF district in disguise
On Tuesday the Wichita City Council will consider an economic development incentive for a local business. The process the city is using to grant this incentive bypasses the scrutiny that accompanies the formation of TIF districts while providing essentially the same benefit.
-
Amtrak, taxpayer burden, should not be expanded in Kansas
Recently the Kansas legislature and governor decided to authorize the Kansas Secretary of Transportation to establish and implement a passenger rail service program in the state. This service would most likely be implemented through Amtrak, the federal passenger rail authority. This service, true to the nature of Amtrak, would require subsidy from taxpayers in order…
-
Will the real robber barons please stand up?
At the April 13th meeting of the Wichita City Council a request from downtown developer Real Development will be made for an additional $2.2 million taxpayer subsidy for its condo project Exchange Place, located at Douglas and Market. With two weeks to go before this public hearing there is still time for council members to…
-
Kansas makes unwise bet on passenger rail
Last week Kansas Governor Mark Parkinson signed into law HB 2552, which enacts the Midwest Interstate Passenger Rail Compact. This act will promote improvements to passenger rail service and the development of plans for long-range high speed rail service in the Midwest, according to the governor’s press release.