The No-TIF District

By Mark Forsythe The Kansas City Post It seems there isn't a week that goes by in Kansas City without some sort of announcement about tax incentives being asked for or awarded. Whether it be a small tax credit to move the nomadic NAIA headquarters from downtown; to Tulsa; to Olathe and back to downtown, a 353 Tax Abatement to reward a politically active local electrical contractor, or the usual TIF plans for building more "public" parking structures there is no end to the public subsidy gravy train. So much time and energy is expended creating, expanding and modifying TIF Districts. Check the docket of any weekly council meeting and you'll most likely see the words "amended" and "TIF district" in the same ordinance. An economic development tool that was meant to revitalize has actually created a new welfare state. TIF Districts tend to grow and multiply rather then retire quietly. Have you ever heard of a TIF district being eliminated or at least reduced? Why can't we create no-TIF Districts? It seems to me it might save some time if we red-lined some places on the map and told developers they're definitely on their own in these areas. It doesn't take the charade of an Economic Development Task Force to understand what areas of Kansas City do not need to be incentivized. Why is it that any Kansas Citian with a pulse will shake their head in disgust at the prospect of TIF incentives on the Country Club Plaza, or greenfields in the northland yet the incentive party continues ahem... unabated? The answer, in my opinion, is simple economics. You, the average Kansas Citian do not write large checks to political campaigns. Developers, their attorneys, construction companies, contractors, and unions do. The organizations that benefit the most from the actual construction activities are the ones controlling the lifeblood of our politicians. Money. These groups have your elected officials' cellphones on speed dial. You don't. It would seem the mayor and council could go a long way towards restoring public faith in our economic development policies by declaring a moratorium on tax incentives in just one area of Kansas City. I recommend starting with the Plaza, but there are other areas that would qualify. Sure there will be much wailing and hand-wringing from the developers, and maybe even a threat or two about withholding campaign dollars, but in the end even they will realize that it's a level playing field and there is plenty of opportunity to go around.