After watching this Stormland TV story, I couldn’t help noticing that something was missing. Can you guess what it was? NO MENTION OF PUBLIC MONEY potentially being funneled into these projects. Not even a peep or an inkling.
No mention of the money the city already gave Jr. Football (they have yet to contribute all of what they promised). No mention of the millions in TIF money Sanford is getting for this complex. No mention of the money the mayor is promising Ice Hockey and the Tennis association.
Notta. Nuthin. Zilch.
Sanford will walk away with all the credit while the taxpayers get left holding the bag of burning dog poo.
And people say our local media isn’t puppets for the city. LMAO!
That’s what happens when you pay for weather toys.
I noticed they made mention of ‘matching contributions’ without stating the taxpayer is making it. I think this will be a great complex. However, with this and any other ‘public-private’ partnership, I get a little concerned. Its complicated so I may be missing something, I’ll say that outright. My first concern is would a given project have happened anyway without taxpayer money? I think most/all of this would. Maybe it would take a year more for said group to raise all the money, but it would happen, if there was demand. If there isn’t then why build it anyway. My next concern is will we the taxpayers get stuck with expenses going forward (but none of the profits) while a non-profit walks away with all the well, profit. As it stands now, the city is pledging I believe to install and maintain certain equipment and facilities. What do we get out of it? I guess the ability for citizens to use the facilities for no charge? Is that it? I’m just trying to understand what the motivation is. Would all of this have been done without taxpayer money anyway? What is our upside? You mentioned TIF, we seem to be moving the bar as to what qualifies as a TIF worthy project. For example the affordable housing thing Darrin Smith talked about a few days ago at the Land Use Committee. We really should have some firm rules about what is TIF worthy and I’m worried right now basically it could be almost any project a developer says should be.
I will point out what I’ve been able to understand about THIS particular TIF. The city pledged X million in matching funds for the project. Instead of writing a check for say a million dollars, they are making their contribution via the TIF – in other words essentially relieving Sanford of property tax for many years going forward until the amount promised is forgiven. It would be like if my mortgage company discovered they goofed and owed me $20,000 dollars. Instead of writing me a check today, they simply reduced my mortgage payment by $80 a month for the next 20 years. Same net effect to me, its just a reduction in what I was/would have been committed to pay. That’s the way I understand it anyway. This was not explained well at all at public hearings. I’m not sure if half the city council even understands it frankly. I still don’t know if I grasp it entirely. This has no bearing on the question of whether the city/taxpayer should contribute to the project at all. That’s a different question entirely.
http://www.southdacola.com/blog/2012/05/the-precedent-of-the-sanford-sports-complex-tif/
I sent this email;
Matt –
I enjoyed your Sanford sports complex story yesterday. Very in depth.
But . . . you missed some important things in the story;
• The Jr. Football fields received money from the city in the form of a quality of life bond. I believe it was around $1 million. At the time of the approval, the Jr. Football Association promised to chip in, they have not done so yet, or at least the amount they promised.
• The sports complex will receive $9 million in the form of a TIF from the city. This is precedent because this has never been done before with this kind of project.
• The mayor has promised millions in city funds to the indoor hockey and indoor tennis facilities in his CIP presentation on last Tuesday.
These are important elements to the story. Tax payers deserve to know these things.
Yeah, one less place to ditch safely.
I’m not sure that I understand TIFDS very well, but I think they’ll take money not just from the city coffers, but from the other government bodies that collect property tax: school district, county, and any others that happen to be in the area where the district is located. I’m sure the owners of property in that area will appropriately thank all of those taxpayers too for their subsidy. After all, this was a really blighted area, as us regular folks all understand blight, to be plain old bare land that’s desperate for redevelopment into a fine edifice.
Duk – Funny you bring this up. I had a discussion today with someone who is meeting with the SF School District about the Dunham TIF and the big effect it would have on property taxes and school funding.
Who is the architect? Looks like a Google Sketchup model — kinda cartoony
Has Holsen written you back yet? Maybe his aunt Jennifer needs to get on him.
Local Media – Puppets for the city; maybe true. They seem always absent with news to little and to late. I’ll check in with KSFY once in awhile. The best way to catch local news is here or networking with citizens. Even weather is better from weather.com than from KELO.