From FB Star: City Sells New Taxing Zone To City & County Residents/Taxpayers Near City Limits In Prime Commercial Area--

Missouri City approves TIRZ for Sienna area lifestyle center

By Barbara Fulenwider

The first official step to start Missouri City’s lifestyle center at Sienna Plantation was taken with Missouri City Council’s approval on first reading of Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone No. 3.

The action came at their Nov. 19 meeting after David Hawes, with Hawes Hill Calderon LLP, outlined what the development can do for Missouri City. And it’s a lot. He told council that the purpose of the TIRZ is to “bring about a higher value development than might otherwise occur but for creation of the zone” and that it will include a hospital, retail, offices, high density-residential, a county library, Houston Community College (HCC).... (click the title link for the full one sided story that doesn't mention the nearly 30 million requested from taxpayers for these projects, many already receiving tax funding).

--No one can accuse FBS of balanced reporting. Not a single quote from neutral or opposition grass-roots tax advocate groups on the redirection of county & city tax dollars to these private Houston corporation projects. The article also does not mention how long before the 4 to 5000 homes in this neighborhood will be annexed and the city will gain from the property taxes of conservatively nearly a billion dollars in property value. See this piece for a balanced report on the politics of reinvestment zones and how they are supposed to be used (http://www.fortbendnow.com/opinion/2801).

----------------

MCC/CRD Comment:

Not mentioned in this article is the reason TIRZs were created. See this FBN piece from April of this year on these controversial taxing zones often used by politicians for big development companies at the expense of taxpayers:

http://www.fortbendnow.com/opinion/2801/the-politics-of-land-development-and-tax-breaks

CITY ELECTIONS ARE COMING, hang on to your hats!


(c) Calvin 2007