By FITSNews || We’ve had a love-hate relationship in the past with The Pulse of Columbia, although we’re too lazy to search through our archives at the moment to remember why, exactly …
Anyway, today our dials are set to “love,” not only as an involuntary aesthetic response to the Pulse‘s nifty new look (nice upgrade, guys), but in appreciation for their outrage over Thursday’s big Columbia (S.C.) City Council vote to approve a $154 million bailout for the failed Innovista “research campus.”
We’ve already blasted this proposed move (here and here) as pure lunacy from a state taxpayers’ perspective, but The Pulse has picked up the ball and run with it as it relates to City of Columbia taxpayers.
From its story Wednesday:
In our current economic condition, the fact that City Council is even considering a tax increment financing (TIF) district is nothing but an inappropriate, miscalculated, misguided public relations ploy… and not true, thoughtful leadership.
According to outgoing Mayor Bob (Coble), this is the “necessary stimulus the city needs to bring new growth and new development.” But reality is, the City can’t afford its own basic services, much less the diversion of tax funds toward special projects.
Indeed … and Columbia’s fiscal and economic failures have come while the city received millions of federal “stimulus” dollars.
Not surprisingly, the creation of this special tax district will result in dramatically increased property taxes for homes and businesses that do not fall within the boundaries of the TIF – and that’s on top of a proposed 11-12% property tax hike the city is already considering in an effort to fill its depleted coffers.
Obviously, this Innovista TIF is more than likely a done deal, but here are the email addresses for Columbia City Council if you’d like to share your thoughts with them anyway.
(click on names below to send email)
E.W. Cromartie III
Sam Davis
Tameika Isaac-Devine
Kirman Finlay
Belinda Gergel
Daniel Rickenmann
And if you’d like to make your voice heard (literally), Thursday’s meeting will be held on the third floor of City Hall (1737 Main Street, Columbia S.C.) at 6:00 p.m.
Thanks to The Pulse for staying on top of this one …
By Rino Hunter February 5, 2010 at 12:31 am
So Sic, who pays the guys at The Pulse? Like the site, but can’t tell which consultant/special interest/rich guy is behind it. Gotta know if the dough is from friend or foe. So tell us who you are – own your sugar daddy, Pulse, so we can decide if he’s one of us!
By Ron February 5, 2010 at 1:39 pm
Will,
Thanks for the information. Columbia taxpayers should be outraged just as taxpayers across the state are outraged over proposed subsidies for the Sembler deal’ in Jasper. The taxpayers that i speak with around the state confirm my feelings that we the people have had all of the “bailouts and taxpayer subsidies” that we can afford! Unfortunately it’s not just Obama. This big spending crowd is everywhere. BRING THE POLITICIANS HOME. I can count the incumbents on one hand that i’d vote to put back in office today.
Thanks for letting us vent Pal,
Ron