posted by Joe Polk at 3:06 PM /
From today's Pittsburgh Tribune-Review:
Lance: To the Mt. Lebanon school board. It has voted to give a $6.1 million tax-increment-financing package to the developer of a very tony condominium project on land the municipality has held, undeveloped, for decades. Taxpayers have no business underwriting capital costs that should be borne by a private developer. Can we trust that Mt. Lebanon commissioners will reject this nonsense when they consider it? OK, stop laughing.
Link: www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/opinion/archive/s_499110.html
Lance: To the Mt. Lebanon school board. It has voted to give a $6.1 million tax-increment-financing package to the developer of a very tony condominium project on land the municipality has held, undeveloped, for decades. Taxpayers have no business underwriting capital costs that should be borne by a private developer. Can we trust that Mt. Lebanon commissioners will reject this nonsense when they consider it? OK, stop laughing.
Link: www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/opinion/archive/s_499110.html
Labels: school board, washington park
10 Comments:
The School Board's action has hightened awareness in the Community to the issue. Folks have asked about the next steps.
The Commission will hold a public hearing at 6:00 pm on Monday, March 26. The Commission will not consider participation until Monday, April 23. This interim period is established to emphasize the importance of public comment.
Please consider attending the hearing to be held at the Municipal building, at 6:00 pm.
Also, I have spoken with Steve Feller, our Municipal Manager, about receiving e-mails and passing them along to the Commission, which he will gladly do.
Please consider sharing your thoughts with the Commission via Steve Feller: sfeller@mtlebanon.org
The Trib's right. The school board sticks it to the taxpayers again!
Could a 6:00 meeting time be any more inconvenient for people? Most of the town works for a living and are also very active with family activities after school, inluding dinner. The commission must not want much public at the public hearing.
PS - Someone else has feelings about the commission and school board. See comment under "Wienermobile hits Mt. Lebanon" below in the blog.
only a government that is comforatble with its own tax-ability would pay 70 cents to get 30
There can be two reasons I can think of for a 6:00 public hearing:
The commission doesn't was residents to attend, and
They don't want chatter about how they voted.
Point of clarification about Monday's meeting .....
The Commission will not vote on Monday to partcipate (or not) in the TIF. That vote is scheduled for April 23. Monday's meeting is about receiving public input in order to make an informed decision.
The Commission is asking for our input - Let's give it to them.
Please attand Monday's public hearing if possible. If you are unable, please share your thoughts with Steve Feller, our MTL Manager, who will pass them along to the Commission: sfeller@mtlebanon.org
Another reason why the commissioner meetings should be televised!
Come on, Bill Matthews, you have given nsuperior information for 13 months and you really think the Commission cares/hasn't heard other people by now.
Regrettably, there may be members of the Commission who appreciate the smooth ride on the river of apathy.
However, if they are going to take $6,100,000 from taxpayers (upwards of $10,000,000 if you include the interest on the bonds) - - they should pry it from our hands. Don’t let them abscond with it thinking there is indifference in the Community.
Another thought that came to me working in the yard this morning - - The Commission as sponsors of this rogue initiative have never really discussed it at a granular level in public. Yeah, they have dealt with extensions and talked "tough" to the developer - but they have never really debated the pros and cons. At this point they can run for political cover and say "Our colleagues on the School Board wanted this - besides, they divert 82% of all the taxes to pay off the debt, so who are we to stand in the way of progress!"
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