ARTICLES
"REDEVELOPMENT"
On understanding "REDEVELOPMENT" and/or understanding the impacts the 2011 TIF Redevelopment Plan/Project Area has had and is having on the community of LEXINGTON, IL. Let's start off by using the "Wirtz Project" as an example to illustrate how the City of LEXINGTON has screwed The LEXINGTON HIGH SCHOOL, The LEXINGTON COMMUNITY FIRE DEPARTMENT, The LEXINGTON Twp ROAD, The LEXINGTON PUBLIC LIBRARY, The LEXINGTON PARK DISTRICT, and all of the other taxing bodies out of any of the benefits from the "Wirtz development."
Ok... some of the numbers I'm about to use to illustrate this point are based off of rough estimates. They are close to accurate but there may be other factors/numbers not considered that may cause the actual accuracy of this example to fluctuate, but for the stake of simplicity, follow me.
Before Wirtz:
the 14 acres of farmland that the Wirtz Beverage Distribution Center now sits on had a value of $154,000, at $11,000 per acre. How that would pay out to the local taxing bodies would go as follows.
Taxing BODY_________________ Tax Rate ___ Total Annual Tax Revenue
The LEXINGTON HIGH SCHOOL___ 5.7 __________ $8778
The LEXINGTON COM. FIRE______ .45 __________ $693
The LEXINGTON Twp. Road_______ .25 __________ $385
The LEXINGTON Public Library_____ .23 __________ $354.20
The LEXINGTON Park District______ .19 __________ $292.60
and...
The City of LEXINGTON___________ .55 __________ $847
and... so on...
there are other taxing bodies that would receive some % but let's not worry about them for now.
So, JOHN comes in with TIF ILLINOIS (i.e. Jacob and Klien/The Economic Development Group) and the EDC (ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL) in 2011 and decide to expand our TIF Distict 4x its previous size to encompass more space for "commercial development" which included the 14 acres where Wirtz is located. Now, since they were the wise guys who came up with the idea they also decided it would be only fair if they were the only ones to receive any of the tax money generated by the "REDEVELOPMENT." However, they might argue, "that's how TIF Districts work." "We are just using the economic tools offered by our state government." Nevertheless, on to the next point.
During the Wirtz Build:
Corporations invested into the ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL get paid from the City of LEXINGTON TIF account!
STARK EXCAVATING made... $2,612,632.53
FARNSWORTH GROUP made... $259,395.70
JOHNSTON CONTRACTORS made... $? (Yet to calculate)
US BANK made... $? (Yet to calculate)
and so on.
After Wirtz:
Now we have an 8 million dollar Wirtz Distribution Center where there was once 14 acres of farmland. You would think this would be "a good thing" for the local taxing bodies, but it isn't, because all of the taxing bodies (other than the City of LEXINGTON) were locked in at the "undeveloped" tax rate, when the 2011 TIF Redevelopment Plan was established. Meaning for the next 20 years, until the TIF District expires, the LEXINGTON High School, Park District, Fire Department, Library, and so on will continue to receive the same amount of tax money from the Wirtz Project area as if it were still 14 acres of undeveloped farmland. Meanwhile the city is capturing all of the extra money generated by the "REDEVELOPMENT." How much is that? Well, if the new Wirtz Building is valued at 8 million dollars and the City has a tax rate of .55 then the City should be pocketing somewhere around $44,000 a year in taxes from the "REDEVELOPMENT."
Now, our LEXINGTON HIGH SCHOOL is going through some of the worst financial troubles it has faced in its history and JOHN's suggestion is to open a CHARTER SCHOOL. Of course, yeah, let's privatize education, bring in the "MONEY MEN" and destroy local history. Well... maybe I should save this info. for another post, but let me just say this... the 2011 TIF Redevelopment Plan that JOHN and his corrupt capitalistic cohorts put together, was designed with the intention of exploiting our community out of our real estate tax dollars. The old EDC slogan says it best... "We are a leadership organization, INVESTING OUR COMMUNITY'S ASSETS to grow and improve OUR PROSPERITY and quality of life." That is to say, they are a bunch of wise guys who are taking our community's real estate tax dollars and investing in ways that make their corporate invested collective wealthy.
In conclusion:
the 2011 TIF Redevelopment Plan does not benefit the LEXINGTON High School, Park District, Fire Department, Library or any of the other taxing bodies in any way. In fact, it is designed to paralyze real local growth, by locking out those taxing organizations which make up the social fabric of our community, and not allowing them any of the financial benefits that come from "REDEVELOPMENT". The only taxing organization to benefit from the TIF expansion and "REDEVELOPMENT" Plan is the City of LEXINGTON, and those who JOHN MOHR chooses to share the newly "developed" TIF wealth with. More often than not, that is an EDC affiliate, being that JOHN is a former board member of the EDC. That's where his economic loyaltie$ lie, and if that's "self-dealing" I don't know what is.
I know the general structure of what I just explained is correct, but if anyone has any other figures that would help in pinpointing the accuracy of the numbers, please send them this way. Thank you. I hope this was/is helpful.
Post Script - Mayor Mohr also gave Wirtz a $2.4 million TIF tax reimbursement
contract as well. SHAKE SHACK gets $0... Wirtz gets $2.4 million?
Who is JOHN MOHR really working for, LEXINGTONIANS or EDC
affiliates? "YOU CAN'T SERVE TWO MASTERS!" NO MOHR!
Ok... some of the numbers I'm about to use to illustrate this point are based off of rough estimates. They are close to accurate but there may be other factors/numbers not considered that may cause the actual accuracy of this example to fluctuate, but for the stake of simplicity, follow me.
Before Wirtz:
the 14 acres of farmland that the Wirtz Beverage Distribution Center now sits on had a value of $154,000, at $11,000 per acre. How that would pay out to the local taxing bodies would go as follows.
Taxing BODY_________________ Tax Rate ___ Total Annual Tax Revenue
The LEXINGTON HIGH SCHOOL___ 5.7 __________ $8778
The LEXINGTON COM. FIRE______ .45 __________ $693
The LEXINGTON Twp. Road_______ .25 __________ $385
The LEXINGTON Public Library_____ .23 __________ $354.20
The LEXINGTON Park District______ .19 __________ $292.60
and...
The City of LEXINGTON___________ .55 __________ $847
and... so on...
there are other taxing bodies that would receive some % but let's not worry about them for now.
So, JOHN comes in with TIF ILLINOIS (i.e. Jacob and Klien/The Economic Development Group) and the EDC (ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL) in 2011 and decide to expand our TIF Distict 4x its previous size to encompass more space for "commercial development" which included the 14 acres where Wirtz is located. Now, since they were the wise guys who came up with the idea they also decided it would be only fair if they were the only ones to receive any of the tax money generated by the "REDEVELOPMENT." However, they might argue, "that's how TIF Districts work." "We are just using the economic tools offered by our state government." Nevertheless, on to the next point.
During the Wirtz Build:
Corporations invested into the ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL get paid from the City of LEXINGTON TIF account!
STARK EXCAVATING made... $2,612,632.53
FARNSWORTH GROUP made... $259,395.70
JOHNSTON CONTRACTORS made... $? (Yet to calculate)
US BANK made... $? (Yet to calculate)
and so on.
After Wirtz:
Now we have an 8 million dollar Wirtz Distribution Center where there was once 14 acres of farmland. You would think this would be "a good thing" for the local taxing bodies, but it isn't, because all of the taxing bodies (other than the City of LEXINGTON) were locked in at the "undeveloped" tax rate, when the 2011 TIF Redevelopment Plan was established. Meaning for the next 20 years, until the TIF District expires, the LEXINGTON High School, Park District, Fire Department, Library, and so on will continue to receive the same amount of tax money from the Wirtz Project area as if it were still 14 acres of undeveloped farmland. Meanwhile the city is capturing all of the extra money generated by the "REDEVELOPMENT." How much is that? Well, if the new Wirtz Building is valued at 8 million dollars and the City has a tax rate of .55 then the City should be pocketing somewhere around $44,000 a year in taxes from the "REDEVELOPMENT."
Now, our LEXINGTON HIGH SCHOOL is going through some of the worst financial troubles it has faced in its history and JOHN's suggestion is to open a CHARTER SCHOOL. Of course, yeah, let's privatize education, bring in the "MONEY MEN" and destroy local history. Well... maybe I should save this info. for another post, but let me just say this... the 2011 TIF Redevelopment Plan that JOHN and his corrupt capitalistic cohorts put together, was designed with the intention of exploiting our community out of our real estate tax dollars. The old EDC slogan says it best... "We are a leadership organization, INVESTING OUR COMMUNITY'S ASSETS to grow and improve OUR PROSPERITY and quality of life." That is to say, they are a bunch of wise guys who are taking our community's real estate tax dollars and investing in ways that make their corporate invested collective wealthy.
In conclusion:
the 2011 TIF Redevelopment Plan does not benefit the LEXINGTON High School, Park District, Fire Department, Library or any of the other taxing bodies in any way. In fact, it is designed to paralyze real local growth, by locking out those taxing organizations which make up the social fabric of our community, and not allowing them any of the financial benefits that come from "REDEVELOPMENT". The only taxing organization to benefit from the TIF expansion and "REDEVELOPMENT" Plan is the City of LEXINGTON, and those who JOHN MOHR chooses to share the newly "developed" TIF wealth with. More often than not, that is an EDC affiliate, being that JOHN is a former board member of the EDC. That's where his economic loyaltie$ lie, and if that's "self-dealing" I don't know what is.
I know the general structure of what I just explained is correct, but if anyone has any other figures that would help in pinpointing the accuracy of the numbers, please send them this way. Thank you. I hope this was/is helpful.
Post Script - Mayor Mohr also gave Wirtz a $2.4 million TIF tax reimbursement
contract as well. SHAKE SHACK gets $0... Wirtz gets $2.4 million?
Who is JOHN MOHR really working for, LEXINGTONIANS or EDC
affiliates? "YOU CAN'T SERVE TWO MASTERS!" NO MOHR!