Though it's called a "Neighborhood Improvement Zone," Allentown's tax incentive is just another gimmick designed to make the rich richer on the backs of those who can least afford to pay. The housing that surrounds this publicly financed construction is still a third-world wasteland. But that may change.
At a recent meeting in the Butz conference room that attracted about two dozen suits, like flies to shit, the rich have been shamed into contributed about $1 million. This meeting apparently included a DCED Deputy Secretary.
It's not all philanthropy. With a neighborhood partnership tax credit, the suits can write off somewhere between 75-80% of whatever they kick in, while looking like they give a shit. Detials are supposed to be announced sometime in May, from what some of the suits say.
I'll believe it when I see it.
Two of the rich guys you'd expect to be there, NIZ twins J.B. Reilly and Joe Topper, were strangely absent.
Today's one-liner: "The shortest way to the distinguishing excellence of any writer is through his hostile critics." Richard LeGallienne
Local Government TV
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Tuesday, March 18, 2014
10 comments:
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You pal Alan at work
ReplyDeleteYour...
ReplyDeleteIt's not about the rich but about Allentown's schools disbanding libraries. Did you see Sunday's paper? Hasn't the city's leader been quoted as stating upscale downtown housing will tap successful couples to live and raise their children in the inner city. Without school libraries and librarians? Really. Why can't one of these very successful millionaires donate charitable dollars to the school district to fund school libraries?
ReplyDeleteWhat is going on in Allentown is a disgrace. But the folks in charge and MC claim all is well.
ReplyDeleteNow that makes the subzidized inner city at 3.5 million? Still the calculated miscalculations don't equate?
ReplyDeleteredd
patent pending
the Free Money Train is unstoppable
ReplyDeletewell done, then, voters
anybody else remember when the Government's ice hockey rink was supposed to only cost $ 80.0 million dollars (as opposed to the final $ 177.1 million dollar price tag)
we are all just victims
we need to be rescued
i suggest even more laws that will require an even bigger bureaucracy to enforce
Tomorrow Allentown City Council will discuss how they will spend $5 million of the water lease funds on non-water related projects.
ReplyDeleteI don't really remember seeing $5 million for random projects in the PFM/Pawlowski lease presentation and "plan". How is it possible for the City to spend $5 million of the lease funds on these projects? The skating rink is one of these projects @ $200,000.
When did we plan to use $600,000 of lease money to help with property blight?
If we use this $5 million in 2014, what will we use in 2015? WTF is going on here?
No one from the City has clearly explained how we are paying for $750,000 in snow removal.
Where is the accountability in the NIZ spending? Are cost at fair market value or inflated because there is appearance of an endless stream of money? How did the $80M Arena almost double in cost?
ReplyDeleteDid Allentown spend Water Lease funds on office furniture?
ReplyDeleteAlso, I suspect the $1.4 Million in Real Estate acquisition is for the ice rink and a dog park.
ReplyDeleteIt's kind of a slap in the face to see the cookie jar being raided again by the mayor. We should be a bit more conservative in our spending. Add the $4Million consulting fees to the newly requested $5Million, our $220 million is rapidly dwindling. What can we sell when the mayor blows through our savings in a few years?