Tif Concerns

Submitted by kilroy on September 18, 2009 - 8:46am

 I have seen that the school district is fighting for more money. I just recently looked at all the Tif projects on the maps. Almost all the Tif developments are in either Blue Springs or Ray Town school district. It appears to me that we have given away the future of our schools. I personally believe The Tifs create an unfair playing field with the existing businesses in Independence. We were told how great they would be and how much money they would generate. Then why are we getting all these tax proposals to vote on.
Also I have lived in 2 different Tif projects. I lost my home in one and my business in another. So I definitely believe Tif projects are not beneficial to everyone. Eminent domain was used to remove a 4 generation farmer from his home for the Center Point project. I think you have to be very careful when you use public funds to promote certain people at the expense of others!

 

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TIFs do nothing but redirect economic activity flows.  To the extent you take sales dollars from Concordia or way outstate you might consider that positive for Independence.  More often we are trying to take sales away from Blue Springs or Lee's Summit.  Of course they are too so there is never a winner.  The worst case scenario and I think Independence fits that category is you take a tax paying business from one area of town, abate the taxes and move it to a newer area. 
The entire metro area is overbuilt with both retail and office.  There are a lot of reasons for the overbuilding, lax lending standards, Sprint building, then contracting, but overall I think tax abatements are more to blame.  On the retail side there will be entire shopping malls mostly vacant.  The office side will see rents decline so much that only the nicer buildings will attract tenants.  Most of the older tier office buildings will probably eventually be abandoned.  We are starting to see building owners walk away from buildings and I am not sure the bank will even want the collateral.   

Submitted by Reason on September 18, 2009 - 9:48am.

That is one of my biggest concerns. It messes up the property tax base which is where most of school funding comes from.

Submitted by kilroy on September 20, 2009 - 11:53am.

Since there is always some community out there willing to mortgage city hall to give tax incentives to some business saying they'll bring a couple dozen jobs to town, the situation will never change. A business won't build in your town for no tax incentives, when it knows it can build one town over and get tax incentives.
A solution I see is to place a federal ban on all types of relocation or new construction tax incentives for businesses, and yes, that should definitely include NFL and MLB stadiums. But unfortunately, it will never happen.

Submitted by PensivePete on September 21, 2009 - 1:04pm.

Ur right, problem is u can always find a whore who will sell out???

Submitted by mminnoe on September 22, 2009 - 10:57am.