Friday wrap-up: transportation
Did you all feel the earthquake this morning? What a strange sensation!
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Tonight there will be an open house at another local Obama Headquarters located at 110 S. Washington Street, 7:30pm!
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A press release of mine went out yesterday; you can read it here: Travis: Land Use Policies Powerful Poverty Panacea
That page/link to my Sophia for Commissioner website will also lead you to a map of Monroe County TIF Districts. TIF District projects are overseen by a body called the Redevelopment Commission which is comprised of five members appointed by the County Commissioners. The body meets on an ad hoc basis.
Bloomingpedia has a good page about our local Tax Increment Finance Districts describing a bit about the use of taxpayer money (and how it flows to developers; see the section about 46 TIF)—Bloomingpedia features more information than you’ll find on our County Government Website pages about economic development incentives.
Here is a link to a page about TIF Reform that suggests that stronger standards for defining blight should be established for designating land for Tax Increment Financing. In Monroe County, TIFs have been established over green space—areas that were clearly not blighted. See: TIF Reform
Some of you may find this study interesting if you’re curious about the connection between land use, housing, and transportation impacts: A Heavy Load: The Combined Housing and Transportation Burdens of Working Families
I recently attended the South Central Community Action Program’s workshop about a program called “Circles” and during the time I spent at the workshop the topic of concern that was identified as one of the topmost issues to address: transportation issues and the costs of transportation to families trying to get out of poverty.
The Economic Policy Institute website features detailed information about Basic Family Budgets: Working families’ incomes often fail to meet living expenses around the U.S..
For an upbeat read about TIF funds being used for a transportation project that is compelling, read about the funding towards an Amtrak station renovation in Springfield, Illinois—where train ridership is up: City plans to use TIF funds for Amtrak station upgrade: Aesthetics, rider increase play role in renovation
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Tomorrow night there will be an “Italian Night” fundraising dinner at the Indian Creek Volunteer Fire Station…again, for your review, here is the recent press release that went out about their current status: icff-press-advisory-4-15-08-lawsuit-won.doc
April 20th, 2008 at 1:02 am
Interesting that the Herald Times chose to post your press release for 48 hours, then subsequently simply yanked it, while leaving all the other press releases there.
Must be something about speaking truth to power, that gets them all “Jiggly.”
April 20th, 2008 at 8:45 am
I could not find the press release on the HTonline, I had to search for it.
April 20th, 2008 at 9:34 am
According to JJ Perry, HT’s assistant managing editor, they removed the press release “to maintain parity among all candidates.”
Apparently a rogue reporter had originally posted the press release online (it was never printed in the print version) without authorization, which violates the HT’s “all candidates are equal, but we treat some less equal than others, particularly if they’re progressive Democrats” rule.
April 20th, 2008 at 9:40 am
By the way,
You can see the press release, as it originally appeared when up on the HT at http://www.sophiaforcommissioner.com/Travis_Land_Use.pdf
April 21st, 2008 at 7:00 am
[…] Yesterday I mentioned that The Bloomington Alternative has published my press release. It is also featured on Sophia for Commissioner…and supplemental online reading related to it can be found in the past few days’ pin-the-tail entries. […]