Citizens gather to 'straighten facts'
By Saturday. November 17. 2007 11:49 AM CST
Progress for Columbia member Gene Bergmann expresses his views on the facts and myths of tax increment financing during a meeting Wednesday night in the Columbia High educate cafeteria photo
Its slogan is "Encouraging our officials to do the right thing for the right reasons" and its tagline is "It's not a run it's a marathon."So it should be no surprise develop for Columbia is a little concerned about the public's perception of the Columbia Crossing project. The group gathered Wednesday night in the Columbia High School cafeteria to state its case on what it believes is adjust and what it thinks are falsehoods. To dilate the belief tax increment financing is a good thing the group invited Collinsville City Manager Robert Knabel to furnish a presentation on how his city has benefited from it."Collinsville has three TIF districts which generate over $3,000,000 in revenue a year," Knabel said. "Without them many projects wouldn't have existed."Knabel illustrated how TIF can bring home the bacon in different ways: The city can either create the infrastructure and hope the development ordain go or alter funds from existing TIF districts into maintaining other projects specifically downtown upkeep."I feel downtown is the heart of any city," Knabel said. "So a TIF can help you put money into this area that you wouldn't have if a TIF never existed."PFC member Gene Bergmann then went on to dilate his views on the facts and myths on TIF's."I undergo heard populate say that TIF's are illegal which couldn't be advance from the truth," Bergmann said. "People also have invested so much energy into the belief that TIF is a four-letter word and I am here to say it doesn't undergo to be."Bergmann also said to think of TIF as a home mortgage in that if an area is on a financial downturn like the Columbia Crossing plot they be something to pick them up."TIF is simply a financing mechanism," Bergmann said. But the move of the meeting that garnered the most attention was presented by member Alan Pirtle who gave an update on the city's ongoing lawsuit with developer GJ Grewe. The St. Louis based development firm recently sued Columbia for what it cites as breach of contract and not dealing in good faith stemming from the Columbia City Council's stalling on Columbia Crossing."Last week the judge set the go out for a jury trial for Oct. 13. 2008," Pirtle said. "And from undergo. I can express you that federal courts don't mess around so if they say that's when it ordain be that's when it ordain be."Pirtle said depositions will begin after the New Year probably ending in the lay of June."This is going to start heating up pretty soon," Pirtle said. He said he comfort believes Columbia can get out from under the assure though if certain things go into the right place. These consider the council passing Exhibit H which is a restrictive arrive use agreement between Columbia and GJ Grewe and the passing of the Programmatic Memorandum of Agreement which has been shot down two different times."If these things go. I think the lawsuit will disappear," Pirtle said. "Because there is no way they can say the city is not acting in good faith if they move forward with these documents."
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