This is of course absurd. The politically motivated person/persons that have started this one appeared to take my comments about not wanting to subsidize businesses that provide a handful of $8 an hour jobs. One case in point is 3 jobs at $8 an hour and this company asked for a 1 year extension for the third job. I have also been against expanding our Industrial Park until higher standards for free land and tax abatement have been established.
I wanted to take the excess property taxes and fees collected this year and give it back to Isanti Taxpayers in the form of a 12% property tax reduction, helping residents and businesses a like. The Mayor wanted to spend the money on expanding the industrial park under its current rules.
My position is as it always has been. I will not vote to give hundreds of thousands of dollars to a company that will only guarantee a couple $8 an hour jobs. I have also asked to receive a company's business plan that ask the city for money. This is a standard businesses must fullfill to recieve funding from a bank or other private sources. Public funding surely must have as high or higher standard.
My standards are as follows:
- Provide Company's Business Plan
- Livable Wage Standard
- Provide Tax schedule showing when Isanti will receive tax benefit
- Comprehensive Industrial Park Marketing Plan (provided by EDA)
- This plan should attract businesses that pay livable wages. (provided by EDA)
If a company wants to come to town and pay $7 or $8 an hour that is perfectly fine. I will however not give them money to do it. Giving a subsidy to a company gives them a competitive advantage over their competition. If the company provides 20 or 30 or 40 good paying jobs and will positively impact the tax base then I will be happy to help. Isanti Taxpayers are the ones that have already paid Millions of Dollars in land, infrastructure and tax abatement cost. We need to ensure a positive return on this investment.
I support strongly Isanti businesses. I buy my campaign materials from them. I buy my shirts from Prints Charming my signs from Reller Signs....I bought business cards from Embroidery Ink. It cost a little more at times but I believe strongly in supporting our business community.
Ask those that ask for your vote where they buy their materials.
As for those that are running with negative rumors about me....ask them what their motives are...and then ask me if they are true or not. This goes for rumors about anyone.......go to the source.....most rumors, like lies, vanish in the light of the truth...they are like mushrooms.....they thrive in the dark shadows... lets move into the light and have a vigorous public debate about issues.
A final note....come to the meetings....see for yourself the good and the bad.....If elected Mayor I will push for the audio recording of the meetings to available for download or to listen online. I want every Citizen and Taxpayer of Isanti to know how the decisions that affect them are made.
5 comments:
you should turn it around on them and ask the Mayor why he thinks it is ok to give away our money for so little in return.
Don't let them get you down. You are the next Mayor of Isanti. We all support you. Keep up the fight.
The City of Isanti should demand their money back from the company who was only able to provide 2 $8/hr jobs and failed to honor their agreement. If they can't pay, then we should kick them out of the city for breach of contract and take back our land and buildings. We need to high much much higher standards before we give away any money of our hard earned tax dollars.
I opened my business two years ago. I did not get a dime from the City. I have 5 employees that make an average of $13.50 an hour. It burns me up everytime I read about Isanti giving away my money to companies that do nothing for us.
What plans are there to improve the city's drinking water
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