Comments on: What does $10.5 million really cost the taxpayers? http://ellensmith.org/blog/2007/05/15/what-does-105-million-really-cost-the-taxpayers/ Sun, 06 Jul 2008 03:53:14 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5.1 By: Ellen Smith http://ellensmith.org/blog/2007/05/15/what-does-105-million-really-cost-the-taxpayers/#comment-974 Ellen Smith Wed, 23 May 2007 12:21:51 +0000 http://ellensmith.org/blog/?p=51#comment-974 Cracker, the answer to the question "Why on earth do you think every expense from the reserve funds should be paid back into the reserve funds?" seems pretty obvious. F.O.R. (the owner of that website you cite) and City officials are telling Oak Ridge taxpayers that Crestpointe is an "investment" that will not only pay back the public's money but also will generate significant new revenues. Many of us are not accepting those claims at face value, but instead are seeking a complete and responsible accounting for the full public costs and benefits of the project. You apparently want a Target store at any cost, but that does not justify a failure to accurately account for the <b>true costs to the city</b> of the proposal of you support. Cracker, the answer to the question “Why on earth do you think every expense from the reserve funds should be paid back into the reserve funds?” seems pretty obvious. F.O.R. (the owner of that website you cite) and City officials are telling Oak Ridge taxpayers that Crestpointe is an “investment” that will not only pay back the public’s money but also will generate significant new revenues. Many of us are not accepting those claims at face value, but instead are seeking a complete and responsible accounting for the full public costs and benefits of the project. You apparently want a Target store at any cost, but that does not justify a failure to accurately account for the true costs to the city of the proposal of you support.

]]> By: Cracker http://ellensmith.org/blog/2007/05/15/what-does-105-million-really-cost-the-taxpayers/#comment-973 Cracker Wed, 23 May 2007 08:37:37 +0000 http://ellensmith.org/blog/?p=51#comment-973 Why on earth do you think every expense from the reserve funds should be paid back into the reserve funds? Have you forgotten that sometimes you just pay for something to get it? The citizen needs as expressed in the Citizen Satisfaction Survey and the ongoing expense (not to mention the environmental and social impact) by citizens forced to travel to shop in Knoxville to find things for their families more than justifies the one-time $10M participation by the city. For reliable CrestPointe information please see: http://www.forOakRidge.org/info.html Why on earth do you think every expense from the reserve funds should be paid back into the reserve funds? Have you forgotten that sometimes you just pay for something to get it? The citizen needs as expressed in the Citizen Satisfaction Survey and the ongoing expense (not to mention the environmental and social impact) by citizens forced to travel to shop in Knoxville to find things for their families more than justifies the one-time $10M participation by the city. For reliable CrestPointe information please see: http://www.forOakRidge.org/info.html

]]> By: Ray Kircher http://ellensmith.org/blog/2007/05/15/what-does-105-million-really-cost-the-taxpayers/#comment-917 Ray Kircher Thu, 17 May 2007 05:39:25 +0000 http://ellensmith.org/blog/?p=51#comment-917 The amount of money just falling out of our council must be checked. I cannot help to believe our council is allowing Mr. Jenkins to spend the money great grandchildren will be obligated to pay in the form of taxes. Mr. Jenkins needs to learn the possessive power of greed before making statements about the city having $8 million to provide as a gift. Maybe the council is being greedy by raising our taxes? The amount of money just falling out of our council must be checked. I cannot help to believe our council is allowing Mr. Jenkins to spend the money great grandchildren will be obligated to pay in the form of taxes. Mr. Jenkins needs to learn the possessive power of greed before making statements about the city having $8 million to provide as a gift. Maybe the council is being greedy by raising our taxes?

]]> By: Ray Kircher http://ellensmith.org/blog/2007/05/15/what-does-105-million-really-cost-the-taxpayers/#comment-912 Ray Kircher Wed, 16 May 2007 04:06:37 +0000 http://ellensmith.org/blog/?p=51#comment-912 The city originally poised $3 million for a one-time project in Feb. Now May FOR has poised the city with $8 million for the same project. As I see it, next election the city will have 10.5 million poised for a retail project. Great post Ellen; hard work for this city is your forte. I agree the city's use of funds by FOR are unreasonable assumptions for taxpayer's money. What I am further worried about is the sales tax reliance burdening citizens with the continued hikes in property taxes. The risk is very high to rely on stores to stay in those buildings for 20 years. Furthermore, this assumption accounting practice is blurring the efficiency and usefulness of all taxes. A simple ward collection for schools as used by Thomas Jefferson has been lost. This makes me wonder if the schools are performing as well as we want to support them? As you can see the charts are expanded and color-coded improperly to make important statements of payments and collections a laboring task, and another issue with schools collecting sales tax monies in part with property taxes of this project is the financial risk of the schools all fall on a city where over a third of its residents are seniors. Is that much money being stored away in Oak Ridge? And if so, is FOR being greedy by not paying the city back with interest that is associated with a correct rate? The city originally poised $3 million for a one-time project in Feb. Now May FOR has poised the city with $8 million for the same project. As I see it, next election the city will have 10.5 million poised for a retail project. Great post Ellen; hard work for this city is your forte.

I agree the city’s use of funds by FOR are unreasonable assumptions for taxpayer’s money. What I am further worried about is the sales tax reliance burdening citizens with the continued hikes in property taxes. The risk is very high to rely on stores to stay in those buildings for 20 years. Furthermore, this assumption accounting practice is blurring the efficiency and usefulness of all taxes. A simple ward collection for schools as used by Thomas Jefferson has been lost. This makes me wonder if the schools are performing as well as we want to support them? As you can see the charts are expanded and color-coded improperly to make important statements of payments and collections a laboring task, and another issue with schools collecting sales tax monies in part with property taxes of this project is the financial risk of the schools all fall on a city where over a third of its residents are seniors. Is that much money being stored away in Oak Ridge? And if so, is FOR being greedy by not paying the city back with interest that is associated with a correct rate?

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