The TIF Administrator has confirmed that issuing a Request for Proposal was legal. It is also still true that this Mayor and this City Council have never publicly mentioned doing this. What that means is that a backroom deal is being set up. Non-existent transparency caused this problem.
Obviously something is brewing, the question is how much is it going to cost taxpayers? There isn’t enough money in the TIF fund to pay for infrastructure that may be required for development. There is also still a loan on the property. Atlanta needs to be paying attention.
By: Diane Benjamin
Really there are two questions:
- Who is lying?
- Why?
The below appeared in the Lincoln newspaper yesterday. This topic has never been discussed at an Atlanta City Council meeting. That would require it to be on an agenda and minutes would be available for that meeting. Neither exist.
This fits the same pattern I have seen over and over and over with both the City and the Library. Laws don’t matter. The people in charge are playing their own game and using your money to do it! Is this the government you deserve? Do laws matter at all in Atlanta? Some people are trying to convince people they don’t.
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So which business will be starved out and close down? Casey’s? Country Aire? Or maybe even the new truck stop? Then we have nothing! How stupid do you have to be.? 10 jobs? Really? Minimum wage jobs for which we have plenty of. We need better paying jobs. Oh wait! The city will just buy them if they perform badly. Sound familiar? The notice sounds like they already have a successful bidder. Not sure why they are wasting time going thru the process of bidding because I’m betting they only receive one Bid. The one they have already committed to. Classic case of people who don’t know anything about running a business . Nothing this current city council does would surprise me! We need change. This group is out of control!
Can’t wait to hear the deal the city gives them!
Well fellow Atlanta residents. Grab your wallet and hang on to it. Let’s take a trip down memory lane. The mayor was the president of the Olympia school district and got out after he put them in so much debt that when school funding became an issue a referendum was needed . It took the school 2 attempts to pass the referendum and in the process several communities lost their schools. Considering the current city administration is no better than the current library administration in conducting illegal activity and no one really wants to take a stand and support the change that is clearly needed. I’m projecting that all this so called “good for the community feel good stuff”. Is going to be our demise. Call me negative if you like but but the Bible does talk about how things gotten thru evil and deception will not prosper. In my opinion , those 15 acres were bought through deception , a backside deal cliesed to the public at a beyond fair market value price. To bad the churches in this community can’t teach anything of real substance anymore.. it’s clear they have become nothing more than the latest social club.
Was permission / authority for the mayor to go this far given to him in the city council vote that originally purchased this property? If so, then this is not really a problem, is it?
In 2014? He’s done nothing since? Previous councils don’t bind the council’s that follow. Somebody spent a lot of time writing the notice for the paper.
This is only a small part of what was printed.
Former council member and another Atlanta Tax Payer, you all can’t believe the discussions and deals that are made behind close doors without the city council knowing anything about them until they are brought to the table by the Mayor. Keep getting used to it because the States Attorney and Springfield/Chicago do not want to get involved. So when you say that people need to get involved, there is actually nothing the people can do. The City Council, Mayor, City Clerk and Treasurer are all protected by their own corruption and the corruption above them. I personally being a tax payer of Atlanta have came to terms with all the corruption and believe that it now is a way of life for all communities everywhere. There is nothing going to happen to these people and they know it. There is nothing anyone can do and I am not just saying this I mean legally we as taxpayers do not have the financially backing to obtain legal representation like the City does that represents them with our tax dollars. You need lots of money to take on these people and they know it, and so do I.
Vote them out! You have good people on the ballot, the write-ins are the problem.
A $4 million investment, and create ONLY 10 jobs!! That IS some really BAD math! So basically, they want a job “created” for every $400K spent. I think a “mom and pop” restaurant would do a LOT better, maybe even a vacation kennel or ice cream shop.. Looks like corruption REALLY is rampant in this state, even down to the very basic levels…
It sounds like the $4M is supposed to be private money, so should not be the measure of stupidity for the project. That measure should be how much of a discount the land sells for and how much is given away in tax subsidies.
And I predict there will be a proposal for something that miraculously matches almost perfectly with what they posted they’re looking for. The mayor must be even more of a psychic than I am, right?
Maybe they want it done before they lose control of the council.
Atlanta at its finest! Nothing is a surprise .
@Mike. Even if the authority was given to the Mayor when the property was purchased. What’s wrong with that picture! What was the current defunct council thinking when they gave up their fudiciary responsibility to one person? In my opinion this mayor rules like a dictator and the current council allows it. Do you have any idea how many back door deals are done as I believe Bill mentioned above? Is what just happened really Transparency? I think that’s why the group who will be on the ballot are advocating for based on my discussion with a few of them. Where is the Treasurer and the Treasurer ‘s report at meetings? She does get a salary but what does she do besides sleep with the clerk who signs all the checks? From what I’ve seen and personally experienced I will be voting for the names on the ballot not the write ins who were recruited by the current defunct council members! How do you know the council doesn’t have the same problems as the library? You have a Treasurer and clerk who have been in their positions for almost 40 years. Do you believe in term limits? Oh by the way I’m betting these two individuals probably also share the same bank accounts! Go ballot candidates. You have the support!
Keep an eye out for who gets a commission from this deal!
You mean Jeff Geibelhausen? He made $49,000 off the sale of the 15 acres. Property that was never on the market and was never appraised. I know, I’ve seen the closing documents for the 15 acres. That is just yet another reason why you should vote for the candidates on the ballot! I’m also aware of the many interesting stories that are not favorable for Geibelhausen. On article calls him the Bernie Madolf. Of taxpayer dollars! Yeah that sounds like someone we should be doing business with!
Watch the locals too