Tualatin, a distant suburb of Portland, is the proud owner of three large and expensive bells that may never toll (there were supposed to be four, but one was stolen). The bells were purchased with TIF (tax-increment finance) money as a part of a $12 million subsidy to Tualatin Commons, a New Urbanist development. But the city ran out of subsidy before it could build a tower for the bells.
A proposal to extend the urban-renewal district for another 25 years, which would have provided the millions needed for a bell tower and other inane projects, was killed when the local fire district objected to the loss of its tax revenues and other taxpayers agreed that the project was frivolous. But the city had already bought the bells for $150,000 (which includes architectural drawings for the bell tower), so now it is stuck with four brass elephants.
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Meanwhile, the giant megalopolis of Normal, Illinois (population about 45,000), is excited to receive $22 million in federal stimulus funds to spend on a multi-modal transportation center. The total cost of the center will be $47 million, or roughly $1,000 per resident, of which more than a quarter is coming from TIF money (see p. 9). (Most of the rest is federal transit grants.) What a waste for a project that most residents will probably never use.
If these kinds of developments are so great, why do they need taxpayer subsidies? Such subsidies are really just ways for city officials to reward developers who make the right sorts of campaign contributions at election time.
The Antiplanner wrote:
> Such subsidies are really just ways for city officials to
> reward developers who make the right sorts of campaign
> contributions at election time.
There is some of that.
But at least from my observations, it’s more about wishful thinking, otherwise known as faith-based transportation planning.
The reasoning goes like this – if we build this new thing to increase transit patronage then we don’t have to upset our local anti-auto/anti-highway/anti-mobility industry by adding capacity to the highway network.
Never mind that this new thing is not likely to provide any highway congestion relief.
Regarding the bells of Tualatin, maybe its municipal elected officials could make a deal with the 1970’s/1980’s Australian rock band AC/DC to name the bells “Hells Bells” in honor of the 1981 track of that name?
C. P. Zilliacus said: …anti-auto/anti-highway/anti-mobility industry…
THWM: Industry? ROTFLMAO!