Tag: Tax increment financing
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Wichita planning firm hopefuls make pitch
This past Tuesday and Wednesday, the four planning firms that were selected as finalists for the master plan for the revitalization of downtown Wichita made their public presentations.
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Wichita’s redevelopment role model needs scrutiny
On the City of Wichita’s cable channel 7, Kansas City’s Power & Light District is presented as a model for the revitalization of downtown Wichita. Wichita Mayor Carl Brewer sees this district as Wichita’s competition. So yesterday I went to take a look for myself. And I agree with the mayor. It’s a neat place.…
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Someone in California understands TIF
In California, they’re called redevelopment districts. In Kansas, we call them tax increment financing or TIF districts. By either name, they provide a way to channel money to politically favored developers.
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Wichita covered with tax-advantaged districts
Here’s a map of improvement and development districts in Wichita and Sedgwick County. Sometimes critics of tax increment financing districts (TIF districts) say things like “If TIF districts are good for development, why not make the entire city a TIF district?” Maybe we’re headed that way.
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KenMar Shopping Center, Funded by Righteousness
Can the Lord’s work be funded by taxation? If you’re Reverend Kevass Harding, the answer is sure, why not? He might even think it’s his calling. Never mind that at its fundamental level, taxation takes money from one person against their will and gives it to another.
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Prudence Requires Postponement of Wichita TIF District
Remarks to be delivered to the Wichita City Council on January 6, 2009. Mr. Mayor, members of the council: Last month it was discovered that procedures used to investigate the background of potential city business partners were lacking in some respects. It is now recognized that the process that were in place failed to give…
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Tax increment financing (TIF Districts) in Wichita, explained
Last week I spoke to the Wichita Pachyderm Club about tax increment financing, or TIF districts, in Wichita. John Todd spoke about the same topic, too. Surprisingly, my remarks contained some different material from the talk given to the same group by Allen Bell, Wichita’s director of urban development.
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Jeff Fluhr’s Decision
At the December 2, 2008 meeting of the Wichita City Council, Jeff Fluhr, the new president of the Wichita Downtown Development Corporation, spoke on behalf of the expansion of the Center City South Redevelopment District, commonly known as the downtown Wichita arena TIF district. Attending the meeting with him were several members of that organization’s…
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The Process Should Be Most Important
A confusing move last week by the Wichita City Council didn’t help build public trust, unfortunately. Without time for public consideration, city leaders added up to $10 million for parking structures to the proposed tax-increment financing plan for the 16-block area around the arena; the council unanimously approved the plan Tuesday.
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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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Downtown Wichita Arena TIF District Testimony
At the December 2, 2008 meeting of the Wichita City Council, John Todd and I testified against the expansion of the Center City South Redevelopment tax increment financing (TIF) District, commonly known as the downtown Wichita arena TIF district. You can read John’s remarks here, or watch a video from YouTube here. Bob’s remarks are…
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Wichita Center City South Redevelopment TIF District Testimony
From John Todd. Update: Watch John’s testimony on YouTube here. Testimony delivered by John Todd before the Wichita City Council on December 2, 2008 in opposition to the proposed Tax Increment Financing (TIF) plan for the Center city South Redevelopment District located generally around the new Intrust Bank Arena. In 2004, proponents of the new…