Wichita Liberty

Individual liberty, limited government, and free markets, mostly in Wichita and Kansas

News from Wichita Liberty: TIF districts, Public hearings, Wichita city council, Sharon Fearey jokes

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Wichita TIF Public Hearing Was Bait and Switch

What happened on Tuesday doesn’t qualify as a meaningful public hearing on the actual plan. A better description is political bait and switch.

Click here for the full article.


Randy Brown: Reopen Downtown Wichita Arena TIF Public Hearing

This may not have been a technical violation of the Kansas Open Meetings Act, but it was an aggravated assault on its spirit. Among other transgressions, we had a mockery of the public hearing process rather than an open and transparent discussion of a contentious public issue.

Click here for the full story.


Sharon Fearey’s Bad Joke

“Do we all get free nuts or anything?”

Click here for the full story and video.


Many Wichita Developers Pay for Infrastructure

A frequent and valued commenter on this blog wrote a comment a few days ago that contains a factual error. I think it’s important to understand this error, because it goes to the heart of the difference between developers working in TIF districts and those who aren’t.

Click here for the full story.

Wichita Taxes Cancel Development

Carrie Rengers’ Wichita Eagle column from yesterday (Warehouse plans near airport are called off) reports on two Wichita real estate developers who have canceled a project that would be a valuable addition to our city. The reason for canceling? Wichita’s property tax environment.

In Wichita, we’re separating real estate development into two classes. There are those who listen to markets and consumers, and try to satisfy the needs that they sense. These are the market entrepreneurs.

Then, there are the political entrepreneurs. These developers make use of devices such as tax increment financing (TIF districts) to offload large portions of the cost of their developments on the public. They do this by pleasing government officials and bureaucrats, not consumers.


Other Articles

The Process Should Be Most Important
Wichita TIF District Reveals Lack of Confidence
Low marks for Gov. Sebelius on Cato Institute grade card

Kansas Tax Increase Not Ruled Out
Wichita Schoolchildren Face a Dangerous Future
Wichita TIF Districts Mean Central Government Planning
Downtown Wichita Arena TIF District Still a Bad Idea

Written by Bob Weeks

December 8th, 2008 at 11:42 am

Posted in Uncategorized

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