By Antonio D. French
Filed Wednesday, March 22 at 11:29 AM
Michael Allen, from the Ecology of Absence blog, is reporting that at Monday's school board candidate forum at Harris-Stowe State University, candidate James Buford said that the City needs to end tax increment financing (TIF).
Allen reports that Buford said that TIFs hurt public schools by denying them needed funds to accommodate a growing population. We reported in January that this is also the position of Comptroller Darlene Green, one not shared by Mayor Francis Slay.
Slay, who is backing Buford for the school board, is firmly against rolling back tax breaks for developers and new downtown loft-buyers. Slay has said that it is too soon to reduce TIFs and that doing so would hurt future development.
4 Comments:
Could Buford be trying to distance himself from Slay as the school board election nears?
Buford being perceived as a "yes man" for the mayor will hurt his appeal in the African-American community.
High voter turnout in the black wards spells trouble for both Buford and Clinkscale.
1:39 PM, March 22, 2006
But the slight growth in population hasn't increased the number of school-age children.
3:31 PM, March 22, 2006
Anony #2, when a man and woman love each other and then buy a loft, it won't be very long before they... begin to make use of the public schools.
The public school system they will use tomorrow is being built today. That's why all property owners (usually) pay taxes, not just the ones with school-age children.
7:32 AM, March 23, 2006
Schools are not the only things that are hurt by TIF's. Look at the City Budget. Revenues are down so the city must cut expenses. These TIFS are going to multimillion dollar owners at the expense of dedicated City employees
8:30 PM, March 27, 2006
Post a Comment
<< Home