Rumor Mill: Wolf Building Granted KOZ

At the end of a very lengthy budget hearing yesterday, Northampton County Council members began hounding executive John Stoffa to update them on the progress of the Wolf Building sale. Bob Werner, the sole Council member to vote against it, said he's been hearing and reading a number of things, and asked Stoffa if the County has agreed to accept less than developer Mark "I'm an opera singer" Mulligan had agreed to pay for the property in June. That agreement was contingent upon a KOZ classification, which basically would exempt the property and all its tenants from all but federal income taxes.

Stoffa started to answer, but then changed his mind. "I'll have a report tomorrow," he told Werner.

Although no one is willing to go on record, I've heard from several persons that there's no reason to give Mulligan any breaks at all. That's because, against all odds, state officials have designated the Wolf building as a KOZ property. I'm guessing this is what Stoffa intends to report.

If this is so, Mulligan has no basis for holding Northampton County hostage to a reduced sales price.

What this also means is that the mad rush to reduce the assessment on this property, which was being pushed by Mulligan and Easton officials, was totally unnecessary.

The Revenue Appeals Board broke the law for nothing. The members of a quasi judicial board stained their credibility and integrity by not just disregarding the law, but by permitting one person to vote by proxy in a matter in which he had heard none of the testimony.