by: Diane Benjamin
Enterprise Zones: crony capitalism, no accountability, no transparency, tax breaks for some while everybody else pays.
When was the last time government picked a winner? Think hard, there must be at least one time.
I can’t think of one either.
Enterprise Zones and TIF districts do create economic development – at your expense. Government’s friends get tax breaks that you will never receive. Government will create a massive economic impact number and proclaim success.
Meanwhile, your taxes are higher to make up for the taxes developers aren’t paying. The economic impact never makes it to your pocketbook.
You’ve been scammed again, I wonder why Illinois has so many of these plans?
Capitalism is not allowed to thrive because government interferes. The private sector will not do projects they can’t predict as profitable. Government hands developers your money and suddenly the projects government wants are profitable.
Downtown hotel? Check that one off.
Is the Council really stupid enough to support Mayor No-Transparency?
Elections early NEXT year!
I hear at least some Bloomington residents are getting notices that their assessed value went up – around 3%. Did yours go up? It’s an easy way to raise taxes without taking a vote.
If the couple wishing to develop the hotel are the same ones who received TIF money to rehab Ensenbergers that didn’t go so well. The money given to rehab the Castle theater was another fiasco and no accountability as to where the money actually went. Also heard rumors that Larry Knuth received 300,000 to rehab a historic building on West Market that has been vacant for years and still is..if all this is true who is overseeing the dispensing and use of these funds..Oh wait, no one is overseeing the CIAM contract and how much money is collected and distributed. What is the City Manager doing? Not what needs to be done as I can see.