Today, on the longest Board of Estimates agenda of the year, the mayor has placed it on the agenda as item number 45. This is the TIF policy that we’ve been working on since early in 2004. The Mayor has been stalling on getting the policies that we recommended in June 2005 passed. So much so I had to introduce my own resolution last March.
Recent efforts to speak to the mayor about this issue have been fruitless. I couldn’t get a meeting with him until I invited folks from the business community to meet with us. Then he scheduled the meeting and then cancelled the meeting without explanation. When the meeting was rescheduled, he sent his staff.
Friday, we finally were able to get his written thoughts on what his issues with TIF are. (See memo dated “10-30-06” that came out with the Board of Estimates agenda and is actually dated November 13.)
Instead of following our recommendations for having a process where the Common Council sets priorities, asks for a competitive application process and then chooses the best projects, according to his staff, the mayor wants to just make the decisions on his own in his budget. (Before you panic, we do allow for projects to come in “off cycle” when something comes up, it just requires a 15 vote item, just like it does now if your project isn’t in the Mayor’s budget.)
So, what do we want for the City, clear priorities, a transparent process and a competitive process for our tax dollars? Or do we want the same old, same old? If you’re interested in this, please come to the Board of Estimates and voice your opinion. They meet at 4:30 today in room 260 of the Municipal Building (215 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.)
