Visitor Opinion: TIF, EEA have unintended costs | Columnists

2. Complete failure of the infrastructure, which costs the taxpayer even more money for replacement (Rec Center, roads?).

3. City officials are wrongly accused of failing to perform their duties when in reality their budgets have been artificially prevented from keeping up with costs.

These comments only relate to the city and the tax dollars “diverted” to the developer that add to its profits, but they also have North Platte Public Schools, Lincoln County Ag Society, ESU, Twin Platte Natural Resources District, Mid. shorted to Plains Community College, Lincoln County, and paying school and city bonds. These taxable companies make up for the lack of revenue either with higher property valuations or higher mill taxes, or both, which I dare represent a tax hike!

Then there is the Employment Promotion Act tax! This is a direct tax on the sale of all sales taxable products and services in the demarcated area, with this money going directly to the developer and thus promoting his profit. But what about the city’s increased cost of more police, maybe more calls to the fire department emergency room – all without the extra property tax revenue that usually comes from such a development. Who pays for it Any ideas?

The “Opinionator” commented ad infinitum (a little Latin for the legal mind) on these various “government interventions” from Abraham Lincoln and the canal system through the Union Pacific Railroad to various subsidies that I believe have helped the development of our beloved United States of America America. However, with few exceptions, these were transfers of taxpayers’ money or real estate for very public improvements, including public schools; the railways, which can be considered regulated utilities; Land grant universities; and the sewer system. Today, however, “diverted” taxpayers’ money is not spent on public institutions or utilities, but rather goes directly to individual developers and “entrepreneurs”, increasing their profitability.