Arkansas Blog

Not fair.merely setting up TIF District does not mean the money is gone and in the hands of wealthy developers. The City Council must later approve a TIF financing plan before any revenue or tax shift occurs. Also since the Council must approve the plan, the TIF's could be cobbled together to do City projects, like a parking deck, street upgrades, pocket parks, or major sewer upgrades as development grows. I'm not saying all TIF's are great or worthy, just that not all TIF's may not be bad. We have to wait to see the financing plan in order to evaluate each on it's merits.

Linking TIF's with a reduction in insurance or benefits can be misieading. If the City had to pay for all the improvements necessary without some sorts of creative financing, there could be even more pressure to reduce employee benefits.

Le's wait and see the TIF financing plans and where the money goes and where it comes from before we start getting our opinions so fixed.

NLRSam,

"WAIT AND SEE"! You have to be kidding!

TIF's were sold to the legislature as a tool to spur developement of "BLIGHTED" areas.

TAXPAYER SUBSIDY to reverse urban blight.

"WAIT AND SEE" is how you set up a classic railroading. "WAIT AND SEE" while we ramrod this puppy through a special meeting with 2 hours notice and read the resolution 3 times and vote on it that night.

You can take that "WAIT AND SEE" and stuff it. How it should be is the developer approaches the city with the finished proposal and justifies the city forming a TIF. Not some "TRUST ME" deal like Fayetteville is currently embarrassed by.

Remember, a TIF is a TAXPAYER SUBSIDY and should be granted only when a "BLIGHTED" area could not be developed ANY other way.

Citizen

I know this is a passionate issue and I am trying to keep an open mind. I do not know how I would would vote on TIF's right now without the financing plan. I do know the Mayor not developers is driving many of these TIF's. The Mayor has said that if it were up to him he would TIF all of downtown. As evidence this is not all developer driven and that not all TIF's are a threat, look at the old Jackson Cookie property where a TIF was set up years ago. before the property was purchased and developed by the Enclave Apartments. The TIF was NOT used by the developers for the Enclave. So here we site with a TIF on that property and no controversy and not tax lost to anyone. All I suggest is wait so we can make a more intelligent decision with more information if and when a financing plan is submitted for approval by City Council. From my perspective more information shared with all and listening to the public that have digested is information is usually better than proceeding half blid or stopping half blind.

And yes if a financing plan is pushed through in one meeting I will be objecting.

If Don Chambers would be allowed to explain TIFs I think people would understand. Please ask him, he is great at this. TIFs are not bad things not even for the schools!!! I was just as dead set against them as some others but I promise, I understand so much more now..contact Don Chambers at the Planning Commission.