Private sector, not LCDC, gets job done
Ron Nilson | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 11 years, 3 months AGO
It's time that the public weigh in on what we believe the purpose and vision of URDs are in the city of Coeur d'Alene.
Urban Renewal Districts are a great tool for economic development but they should be limited to the expressed purposes laid out in Title 50 Chapter 29 of the Idaho State Code. Before you weigh in, take the time to read this Idaho State Code. As you read it, notice the words used, like: economic growth, limited period, encourage private investment, slums and blighted areas, competitively disadvantaged border areas. It says nothing about the URDs becoming the developer. It says nothing about spending tax dollars on art sculptures up and down our streets. It's clear, when the project is completely funded, you shut them down.
Let's talk about the Good, the Bad and the Ugly.
The Good
* URDs are great tools to encourage businesses to relocate to Kootenai County and Cd'A.
* They fix blighted areas, create jobs and later return the increased taxes to the public, which in turn reduces everyone's taxes.
* These projects should be both project specific and business specific. Just look to the west at Post Falls, on how they keep theirs site specific and close them when they are funded.
The Bad
* With so much money involved (+$30 million), they want to twist the law to keep collecting money that has already funded the project.
* They make these districts so large that for any improvement that happens inside the district, they get the "increment tax increase" - even if the URD wasn't involved in the project. Why?
* Use tax dollars to fight against the taxpayers. We pay an executive director $154,881 in wages and benefits each year, not bad for a one-man department. This is paid by our taxpayers. Then we have to listen to him spew his political beliefs about who should be elected, if they don't support his position.
The Ugly
* They have already collected $32.7 million and now have borrowed another $16 million, while funding projects that do not fit the state code.
* Additional property tax burden created through URDs that are not well planned and managed hurts business growth and recruitment. They tell you that these are "tax neutral." THIS IS NOT TRUE!
Remember: Private investment in economy has a greater multiplier effect than public investment. See the graph from U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, above. Government investment has only a negligible multiplier effect.
Businesses generate the largest share of local funding. See pie chart from Ernst and Young, above.
Tony Berns references several projects that will not be done in his My Turn letter, if we elect the wrong person. Many of these do not have the URD's and public purpose; Midtown mixed-use workforce housing and retail building (cities should not be in the housing or retail business but rather foster an environment where these developments can thrive); funding of a downtown parking facility where a private company can charge for what has been built as public parking.
No issue with money being used to create infrastructure that will encourage companies that will generate new jobs. LCDC should not be in the business of using public funds for constructing buildings that will be privately held. No facade improvements of private buildings should be permitted!
We should also question the use of public funding by LCDC for education corridor-related projects. Why layer public funding on top of already publicly funded schools? This could be construed as double taxation for residents of Coeur d'Alene and Kootenai County, as everyone's taxes will go up when revenues are sequestered by either the Lake District or River District.
In closing, we need to understand the value of URDs in our city. Hold our elected officials to the law which is already written. We should make sure when we spend millions of dollars on questionable projects, we get the community involved. No more taxation without representation.
Ron Nilson is owner of Ground Force Worldwide. He's a Coeur d'Alene resident who lives in an urban renewal district.
ARTICLES BY RON NILSON
Private sector, not LCDC, gets job done
It's time that the public weigh in on what we believe the purpose and vision of URDs are in the city of Coeur d'Alene.
My Turn
Please answer the question, Mr. Minnick
Maybe this rhetoric is to be expected today, maybe this is politics today; but I don't remember as a child when our president and other politicians were asked a question, that they wouldn't answer it. Am I the only one who notices that when a tough question is asked of our leaders, they start to dance like Michael Jackson? When the dance is over and the long rambling has stopped, you find yourself saying, "He or she never answered my question." They are elected by the people, they are accountable to the people and they come to the people to speak. Shouldn't they answer the questions posed? Don't they either need to answer the question, or be honest and say "I don't know," or maybe even say, "My answer will get me in trouble, so I am going to talk in circles until you go away." It's time for "We the People" to say, "Answer the Question!"!uc!2026 and not let them continue on until they do. Last Saturday, at a public forum at the Coeur d'Alene Senior Center, our local legislators answered many questions from the crowd. I'm proud to say that, first, they showed up; and, secondly, they answered everyone's questions, directly and to the point. After our local legislators left the stage, Walt Minnick came to the stage. He gave a short message about what is happening in Washington and joked about everyone getting the message from Massachusetts. Then he opened it up for questions. One tough question was, "Why are you using our tax dollars to send out personal political campaign literature?" Mr. Minnick's response was, "It only cost $20,000," and he went on to say how much he has done to help all Idahoans and this brochure gives specific cases. But it only had his picture and his information on the brochure. Then, my question: "You have said publicly (Post Falls Rotary, August, 2009) that you support the Free Choice Act. If creating jobs is one of the most important things we need to do to get this country back on track, explain how this would help in creating jobs?" He started out by saying jobs are our No. 1 focus and that he supports this. He then stated that he doesn't think the Free Choice Act will come before the House, and if it did, it would have to be modified. Then Walt looked for the next question. Before he could find someone to ask another question, I said "Mr. Minnick, you never answered my question." It was obvious he was upset and went on to say he didn't appreciate that I had misstated his position, that he had answered my question, and that he was not going to talk about it anymore. I felt like I was in the twilight zone. Where was his answer? The "Employee Free Choice Act," better known as "Card Check," is one of the most harmful pieces of legislation to ever be proposed by our government. Big labor unions spent heavily during the 2009 election and are pushing Congress to approve this law. Union membership has been declining - currently about 7.5 percent in the private sector - and they hope this law will change the rules and reverse that trend. The U.S. Chamber strongly opposes this legislation and we know that they represent 300,000 businesses. The Chamber states that there are three problems with Card Check: 1. Eliminating the private ballot 2. Government arbitration and control 3. Harsh new penalties for businesses. Visit: www.uschamber.com/issues and see for yourself. This is why most business leaders in Idaho have come out in strong opposition to this legislation. This is why those who understand this legislation oppose it. Except, Walt Minnick! Why? Maybe the answer lies in closely examining Mr. Minnick's PAC fund and to whom he is responsible as a result. HERE'S AN ANSWER: Eight of Mr. Minnick's top 11 campaign contributors are from Union-based organizations. Walt, when answering my question, just say, "I owe this support to the unions." Ron Nilson owns Ground Force Manufacturing in Post Falls. Ron Nilson My Turn
Please answer the question, Mr. Minnick
Published: February 4, 2010