Sodden question: If this is such a great project, why does the public have to fund it?
By Smaatguy
This just chaps my hide... here we go again. $100k to another developer to get things moving. I don't recall the city handing me even a stick of gum when I remodeled my building:
Questions... just how much of this $100 k will remain in Ogden? With as big as this project appears to be and as "attractive" it is going to be, then it ought to be so successful that the public does not need to be funding it in ANY way. They say "the removal of the buildings is essentially free to the city." Ummm....so the City owns the buildings? NO...so how is that free to the city?
And here we go again with jobs lies... "creating" 30 to 50 temporary construction jobs. How? Are they going to tear them down with spoons? 50 guys riding a trackhoe?
As far as local developer... Google Wright Development Group and see where that lands ya. Yup... Layton... Hilton Garden Inn... sound familiar? Again the question...if this is such a great project, why does the public have to fund it?
I am livid beyond words.
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6 comments:
I'm less livid and more dazed and confused. It's like I woke up in bizzaro world this morning! I am personally okay with the government incentivizing urban renewal. But the Hilton Garden Inn is a joke, and now a 7-Eleven?!? Really?!? A 7-Eleven?!? I'm pretty sure that defies all precedents for successful community revitalization strategies.
Well, at least it's refreshing that they're not playing the usual financial shell games with redevelopment districts and tax increment and lease revenues from BDO. Now, finally, the Ogden administration is subsidizing businesses the straightforward way, with a direct cash payment out of the general fund! Yep, that's the same general fund to which we all pay property tax and sales tax and franchise tax, not to mention the 17% "fiscal charge" that they take out of our utility bills every month. The same general fund that has to pay our police officers and firefighters and, for that matter, the salaries of Mr. Cooper and Mr. Christopulos and their bosses, CAO Johnson and Mayor Caldwell. Of course, money is fungible so our taxes have always been paying for business subsidies even when shell games are involved. So there's nothing really new here--it's just a little more transparent.
There is good news and bad news in this story. The bad news is that Ogden continues to spend taxpayer dollars on these type of projects. The good news is that compared to Godfrey we are spending a much smaller sum.
Just in case there needs to be some clarification....I think that the Layton Garden Inn is the same owner of our new one at the Junction, no? Same old FOM (Matt, Mike ...same diff)
And the joke that 7-11 will do more landscaping than usual?...ummmm...are there not city guidelines of what they need to do?...more fluff and puff....the whole article and premise of this project and use of public funds....the job part really is a knee slapper....
Well, all those peeps living down on the riverfront project need a easy place to get a cold one....
When can we taxpayers get a subsidy for Vaseline???
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