Bill Wayne Weblog

Saturday December 31, 2005

Transportation Development Districts - A Consumer Rip-off

The Warrensburg City Council got into an unholy alliance with a developer and approved a Transportation Development District for a new commercial development here. Businesses who build in the district will collect an extra 1/2 cent sales tax for the next 25 years. However, since the development is highly speculative with no tenants in sight and his credit is likely already stretched so there is no market for the bonds, they also roped in the local Wal-Mart. So, until the developer gets his money, everyone who shops at Wal-Mart will pay extra taxes. Wal-Mart, who in my opinion was pressured into the deal, got a no-competitor clause and a few traffic improvements. For details, see olddrum.net; also follow the link to the local blog for several updates.

Here is what I wrote when the Circuit Court approved the deal:

In case you missed it, the Circuit Court approved the Wal-Mart tax (see previous posts) to benefit the Hawthorne development. Wisely, the local judges didn‘t hear the petition; it was passed on to one of the other judges, from Cass County. She didn‘t have much of a choice in the matter, since the TDD complied with all the requirements of the asinine and unjust law that allows it (can you tell I‘m ticked?).

Here‘s what it means: if you go to Wal-Mart to get that hangover cure on January 1st, you‘ll pay an extra 1/2 cent tax on everything you buy. Comparing this to other sales taxes:



• You‘ll pay more for Hawthorne than you pay for Warrensburg parks.
  
• You‘ll pay the same for Hawthorne as you pay for law enforcement.
  
• You‘ll pay the same for Hawthorne as you pay for county roads
  
• You‘ll pay the same for Hawthorne as you pay for the county general fund.
  
• You‘ll pay the same for Hawthorne as you pay for Warrensburg debt service on the fire stations and community center.
  
• You‘ll pay 4 times as much for Hawthorne as you pay for wildlife conservation.
  
• You'll pay 5 times as much for Hawthorne as you pay for State Parks and conservation.
  
  You got to vote for all of the above taxes; you didn‘t get to vote on the Wal-Mart tax.
  

  
  2006 is an elections year. Let‘s make the candidates state their position on stealing from taxpayers to benefit private business and let‘s make them tell us what they are going to do to prevent it!