2019
l3wis More tax incentive for developers
I guess if you have a lot of money, you get all the price breaks. According to the City in this informational presentation (PDF DOC: Tax Reduction Program – Informational Jan. 8.pdf;
Reduced Property Taxation
Any person desiring to claim reduced taxation on new construction shall make application to the Planning and Development Services Department on or before October 1 in the year in which the project is completed and shall first appear on the tax rolls as a completed or modified structure. The application shall be submitted on a form prescribed by the city. Upon Planning and Development Services’ approval of the application, the staff shall notify the applicant within 30 days stating whether the facility is eligible to receive reduced taxation.
Since 2008 the City has reduced approximately $14 million in property taxes. Seems strange when we are trying to find money for new infrastructure, like a sewer plant, we would be allowing these many cuts.
One of the arguments for these cuts is that the businesses will create jobs;
Review the requirements for projects to receive incentive:
â—¦ Job creation
â—¦ Types of jobs
â—¦ Increase in Tax base
Do we really believe with the wages these places are paying they will make up the $14 million in unpaid taxes? I think a requirement that should be under review is if these properties are paying living wages. Otherwise it is no different then TIFs, just another corporate welfare program.
Electronic Recycling center has strange policies on TVs
I’m pretty sure the Electronic and Hazardous waste recycling center on North Cliff has a contract with an outside company to receive the items. I noticed the few times I have been out there that the employees wear a uniform that is NOT city related.
They also scan your ID when you arrive. I’m sure this has to do with any issues they may have with items you drop off, like if they suspect you have a meth lab, etc.
I know the couple of time I have been there, they are extremely ‘picky’ about what they will take, and if they don’t take it, instead of just throwing it in their dumpster, they give it back to you. For something that is funded by the taxpayers, I find this strange.
But a friend of mine had a very unusual experience recently over disposal of televisions. He confessed to me that he has been there 3 times this year with old TVs, mostly cleaning up his deceased mother’s place and getting rid of his old TVs. Let me be clear, he was only dropping off TVs.
At his last visit they informed him he was ‘Over his yearly limit’ for dropping off TVs. He explained to them his situation with his mother, etc. The response from one of the workers was ‘You are banned from dropping off any more TVs for 357 Days!’
He didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.
According to the city website, they have a ‘5 TV limit’ per year. There is NO stated reason why they have this limit. Baffling, I know.
So this is how we treat people trying to do the right thing by recycling OLD electronics and TVs? By banning them for a year?
The city really needs to look into having some customer service training or at least explain why we have a TV Nazi policy.
Has Bros downtown already been spoken for?
Friday night I was strolling DT and noticed there was brown paper in the windows of Bros. The rumor going around is that an already existing brewery in Sioux Falls took over the space for a restaurant and will have a familiar face as executive chef.
Waiting for an announcement.
Maybe we should have done this BEFORE we built the Denty in that location?
Looks like we are trying to make something work after the fact. Should have been built Downtown.
No blame here on the TenHaken administration, they are just trying to polish a turd that the former Ram Rod Mayor plopped out.
