We felt compelled to reprint this post from "Freedom of Speech" a blog by our friends in New Albany. Their inept Mayor, Carl Malysz, does not even know how many TIF districts there are in his city! The activists did the mayor's work for him! New Albany might win the contest for most corrupt city or town in Indiana.
--HFFT
Here's what New Albany activists have to say to their Mayor:
After reading the Feb. 20 edition of the Tribune the comments by Carl Malysz Deputy Mayor and Director of Development. We had to laugh...
This shows us exactly what his and England's plan for the next 4 years is."The hell with us citizens" they're going to help the developers!
Does this surprise you?
Malysz said it is a situation of what comes first, the chicken or the egg. He believes roads and other infrastructure projects should be funded through TIF because they literally paved the way for growth.First of all what he should have said was: "WHO is more important Property Owners or Developers?"Malysz is choosing developers over property owners.Don't give us this CRAP of what comes first the chicken or the egg. Just shoot straight with us property owners.Malysz also said: "I think it's a false conclusion to say that TIF districts cause any fiscal harm to the taxpayers."Boy you sure haven't done your home work Mr. Director of Development.
You need to pick up the phone and call the following people because we did:
Charlie Pride: 317-232-2521 State Board of Accounts
Gail Snyder: 317-407-2433 Indiana Department of Local Government for Floyd County
Where is this guy coming from? We're actually paying him $85,000 for these bad decisions.
Good Grief! Let's cut to the chase...shall we? Malysz, let's give the taxpayers and our new Council members some truth for a change.
Malysz stated that there are 5 TIF sections in the city. We count 10 TIF Districts, not 5.
1. Downtown TIF
2. State Street Area TIF
3. Grantline Road TIF
4. Park East TIF
5. Charlestown Road TIF
6. Add on to State Street TIF
7. Add on to Grantline TIF
8. Add on to Downtown TIF
9. Main Street - Scribner Place TIF
10. Monon Corridor TIF on Grantline Road
Are we correct Mr. Director of Development?
Let us educate you on TIF's:
Tax Increment Financing (TIF) is an area with designated boundaries (like a circle) drawn on a city map and labeled as a TIF area. The taxes in that TIF area are frozen at the time the TIF area is approved. The current property taxes continue to go into the City General Fund and to the other entities (Schools, County Government and Library).
As new development is made on that plot of ground, those "new taxes do not go into the City General Fund" or to other entities (NA-FC Schools, Floyd County Government and NA-FC Public Library).All those new taxes on the "new development go into an account for that TIF area only" for use in the TIF area for improvements such as roads and sewers.That new money does not go to our City General Fund.The need for extra Police and Fire Protection is increased, but new additional money does not come out of the TIF district. So the City Council has to find other ways to pay for all the extra services needed in those TIF areas including sanitation.This may need to be done by cutting back on all departments throughout the city.
The burden of paying for the additional services is shifted to the other taxpayers!With too many TIF areas, the whole city could suffer because services are spread too thin and there is not enough money to sustain them. The "new tax money is gone" that could have been used for New Albany General Fund Services.
Source: Indiana Department of Local Government Finance
Freedom of Speech would like to say:
What Malysz and Mayor England don't get is this: We have no 2008 Budget yet. DLGF says in an email to us that our 2008 budget will not be determined until the assessments are complete and turned in. They also informed us that it will be at least 3-4 months before they will even take a look at the Civil City of New Albany.We are not against growth. What we property owners, don't understand is why we are being lied too.
Why can't Malysz and England look the citizens in the eye and tell them TIF's affect property taxes. Tax abatements affect property tax but most of all local government spending affects our property tax bills.Should TIF's be considered Corporate Welfare? Should Developers pay for the needed infrastructure, themselves?Absolutely!!!!The bottom line is this who are you going to believe property owners: Indiana Department of Local Government Finance or the England adminstration on TIF's?
Monday, February 25, 2008
PROPERTY OWNERS vs DEVELOPERS: New Albany activists educate their politicians on the facts of TIF's
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15 comments:
The Mayor controls TIF expenditures via his appointive power. Money is fungible. The Mayor can decline the use of City Funds for anything in a TIF district and let the TIF fund potholes, sidewalks, etc. I think Sanitation taxes are not covered by a TIF exemption BUT the appointive power exists also at the Sanitary District and things can (and have) been done by that district in TIF districts. Moreover, if the City had the monies to do infrastructure they wouldn't need TIFs at all. Keeping money away from the common council in New Albany seems like a good idea to me but I could be wrong. Choose your ratholes!
That's an awful lot of TIF's for one city. Our city only has 3.
Boy we thought we had it bad in Indianapolis.
Someone needs to call for an investigation in New Albany. We have purchasing scams, corrupted inspections, tainted land use decisions and a raft of embezzlements of government funds in our city.
I encourage the public to come forward to the FBI when they suspect crime and corruption in any branch of their local, state or federal government agencies.
local government officials are running scared because of House Bill 1001, which would put local governments in Indiana on a strict fiscal diet.
The antiquated, creaky government structure Indiana built was suitable for the 19th century, but not the 21st century.
Without a doubt New Albany has to be a very corrupt city to me!
We need to pray for them citizens in New Albany. God bless all them activists fighting the good fight against corruption.
I read Freedom Of Speech quite often. Now that's one hell of a blog.
Radical changes in the way New Albany government services are delivered are needed. Now with the property tax crisis a sharp focus on the cost of local government. Maybe they need to blow up New Albany get rid of the coruption and build something better and more honest government.
If we can clean up Indianapolis they can damn well get rid of a corrupt adminstration. Give them all hell Erik and don't back down.
They need to take to the streets that always works.
I had the opportunity to meet this group of women at one of the rally's here in Indianapolis.They're smart, cute, and willing to kick butt in their town. Don't count this group out by no means. Kick butt girls hope to see you all soon.
Hey Diane call me collect.
Phillip
They call themselves New Albany's true warriors. Hat's off to you activist. Keep pounding them and putting the facts out there. And last but not least take no prisoners.
Wasn't that the group with the New Albany Warrior's poster in their back windows? There was a whole caravan of them. They sure know how to party. We need to all pile in our Suv's and go help the girl's out and clean up the corruption in there City.
Count us in Team Hammond Tax Group. We cummunucate with the team in New Albany quite often. We're all in this together. It's time to clean up our state and get rid of all the corrupt politicans.
Great posting! Glad Hoosiers for Fair Taxation put this out there for all to see.
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