MCC Exclusive: Poats Confronts Council On Possible Misuse Of Reinvestment Zones In Prime Commercial Areas--

At the December 3rd city council session on item 7a the council was taking the second and final vote on a new taxing zone that may increase the ad valorem taxes coming from Missouri City and county taxpayers. Mr. Poats expressed his concern about setting up such a tax zone in a prime commercial area rather than using them to rehabilitate older areas of Missouri City, as is the intention according to chapter 311 of the Texas Tax Code.

When Greyling engaged the mayor on the misuses of reinvestment zones in this manner, a somewhat heated exchange took place between Owen and Poats, which lead to the district B council member, Cynthia Gary, asking for a return to civil debate. Repeatedly, throughout the evening, council member Jerry Wyatt and mayor Allen Owen grilled resident after opposition resident speaker in an attempt to defend the project.

One of the opposition speakers pointed out the potential for conflicts if Owen and two other council members continue to participate in this vote based on their campaign disclosure reports, which links the mayor and two others on council with some of the principle corporations that will be benefitting from their overt support and vote on the establishment of this zone (TIRZ #3).

This piece will be updated at intervals. Currently 3 TIRZs are either proposed or confirmed for this 2 to 3 mile stretch of prime commercial land along highway 6 in Missouri City.

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).

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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