Citizens Oak Ridge
Letter to the editorAlternatives to the Crestpointe project4/20/2007To the Editor: Citizens need to be concerned about what future Oak Ridge they are supporting if they vote for Crestpointe. Current revenues to the city are depressed, not only by reduced sales tax revenue, but also because up to 50 percent property tax abatements were given to particular businesses for 10 to 15 years at the expense of future city revenue. This is a self-defeating practice which rewards a few at cost to the many. Our tight budgets and failure to support needed city services are at least partially a result of these taxpayer funded gifts to private businesses. When government gives financial support to selected businesses like GBT for the Crestpointe project, • It is unfair to our existing businesses that are paying their full share of property taxes and puts them at a competitive disadvantage; • It discourages citizen entrepreneurs who might consider starting a small business; • It gives the impression that outside businesses are valued more than existing local businesses; • It creates the opportunity for favoritism where decisions can be made for private interests; • It creates an expectation by others that they should get their taxpayer funded inducements; • It violates trust in its fiduciary responsibility by not making prudent financial decisions with public funds. We should not pay the developer (GBT) $10.5 million for Crestpointe site preparation. We did not have any input on the site selection, and we have not determined that it is a necessary public need. I have previously provided many examples of business CEOs admitting they would have continued projects without city assistance. The only way to find out in this particular instance is for us to tell GBT that city assistance is not available and learn what we should do next. I have not heard any citizen, in considering the viability of Crestpointe, advocate doing nothing. Council has asked if alternatives to this project are proposed. Several alternative locations have been identified in the newspapers which do not require such high cost city funding. A free enterprise project without the $10.5 million city mortgage is better than Crestpointe. If GBT is not interested under these terms, the city should procure an unbiased study to determine the true Oak Ridge market demand for retail, and publish the results for the benefit of all businesses that could have an interest. We should also identify and define the capabilities of all available retail sites that are consistent with the city development plan. With this information, the city government could facilitate retail development. This is a fair and appropriate way for government to spend to promote new retail, providing equal opportunity for all comers. In the meantime, we should stop giving away tax revenue to private companies, spend money in town instead of out of town, and spend to improve city desirability for citizens and businesses. Tim Holt Oak Ridge |
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