Transformation campaign addresses misconceptions

Thursday, January 26, 2012

Members of a sales tax campaign group are hoping to squash falsehoods in the community with just under two weeks left before election day.

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At a weekly meeting Wednesday, members of the Transform Jefferson City campaign tried to address some public misconceptions associated with the proposed 10-year, half-cent economic development sales tax and the projects it would fund.

Transformation is the economic development strategic plan put forward by the Jefferson City Area Chamber of Commerce. If passed Feb. 7, the sales tax would raise more than $41 million to complete a list of 30 projects around the city.

Visit the Transformation section to read additional articles about the Transform Jefferson City proposal.

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JCsleeper 1 year, 3 months ago

Nothing confusing about wanting to keep one's own money.

JCLifer 1 year, 3 months ago

Nothing confusing about who is going to benefit from nearly all of the projects. It sure won't be the common middle-class income family! These projects are all about benefiting the rich retailers and good ol boys to build their stuff with our money.

Nothing confusing about no good-paying jobs tied to any of these projects. Just a few motel housekeepers, a few caterer delivery boys, and maybe a trolly driver or two.

The only transformation will me more tax dollars leaving your pocket whenever you purchase anything in this town, and these dollars willl go to make the rich people even richer.

hudson 1 year, 3 months ago

MORE TAXES , MORE GOVERMENT.MORE GOVERMENT,MORE TAXES. HOW ABOUT LESS TAXES,LESS GOVERMENT . LESS GOVERMENT , LESS TAXES .

TylerWoods 1 year, 3 months ago

Now is simply not the time for an increase in taxes. During my campaign, I have visited with hundreds of Ward 1 residents that feel now is not the right time, nor the right projects are at hand. Therefore being a possible representative of the people, I have to vote no on this tax. I believe if we take one project at a time we will continue to grow, no need to subject every tax payer to higher prices and take away from their family, or business. I want to do great things, we are a capital city; there should be growth, reconstructing fragile areas, and updating our emergency services to the equipment and living quarters they need to better perform their duties. This is why families and businesses support me and my campaign to become City Councilman in Ward 1 - Principles.

Sequoia 1 year, 3 months ago

Mr. Woods: You say you want to "do great things," reconstruction, updates etc., but you don't want to increase taxes. How does that work?

Isn't it more efficient to bundle the projects and their funding into one package, instead of debating and funding them one by one? If not, why not? What projects would you do first?

Is any voter ever going to say that "now is the right time to raise taxes"? If not now, when? Are you aware of economic research indicating that strict austerity in a time of recession slows recovery, and that short-term spending speeds recovery, which helps reduce debt over the long term, if we have the guts to cut spending when times are good?

JeffCityYuppie 1 year, 3 months ago

Mr. Woods, this issue is not about your campign. Are there any other issues you are running for city council on? It seems you are using this as a platform for your campaign. Let's think about this a minute. IF you are elected, and the transormation tax passes, you will have to support the inittiative as a council person. If you choose not to support it and it passes, you are going against the will of the people. Since the vote for the office you are running and the transformation tax votes are being cast simultaneously it doesnt really matter if you support it or not. It is not something you will have the chance to change IF elected. So why not tell the people of your ward what you DO intend to do. It seems as though you are using the dramatics of this issue to piggy back on to give you your 15 seconds of fame. Are you familiar with any other issues within our city government that you COULD do something about (if elected)?

JCLifer 1 year, 3 months ago

Fix the roads, build more sidewalks, fix and improve the parks, build a Community Center, etc.?

JC27 1 year, 3 months ago

JeffCityYuppie, as a voter in this election it is important to me that Mr. Woods is against this tax increase. It shows what type of person he is in comparison to the folks we currently have running our city and our Chamber. If he is elected it will help prevent dumb proposals, like this one, from going forward in the future. I own a local business and I'm disgusted with the "Chamber of Commerce"...I thought that would be an organization that would help our business. As far as I can tell though, at least since I purchased the business a year and a half ago, all the Chamber does is push tax increases. First it was the lodging tax and supporting that was one thing. But actually going out and thinking up a new tax, proposing it, and then pushing it...wow. What a pro-business organization. Maybe they should rename it the "Chamber of Taxation and Downtown Commerce"...that would be more fitting. All the Transform supporters act like anyone opposing this is some horrible person...get out of here! You side is trying to take $50 million dollars out of peoples pockets and our side is saying don't take $50 million dollars out of peoples pockets. Just because a couple hundred of you spent a year or so thinking up ways to spend a bunch of our money doesn't make it a good idea. You need to get an economics textbook out and do some reading.

TylerWoods 1 year, 3 months ago

I am happy to answer your questions if you would email me direct so I can better go into depth. My response would be to excessive for this format, and being a story regarding transformation should stay as that hints my answer to only transformation! You obviously have not followed me or my campaign from day one so please email me direct or call and I would love to fill you in and earn your support! tyler@colonialmonument.com is my email. 573-230-3072 cell

JCLifer 1 year, 3 months ago

I'm all for transformation, but these projects won't benefit most of the people who have to pay for them.

Let's get some groups together that represent ordinary citizens, not the Chamber and the UpTown Betterment Association.

Vote NO

Sequoia 1 year, 3 months ago

The Chamber held numerous meetings with groups of ordinary citizens to put these ideas together. Did you go to any of them?

JC27 1 year, 3 months ago

Oh, you had meetings...wonderful. I don't need to attend a meeting to know that a tax increase is bad for local businesses and bad for our citizens.

melbrooks 1 year, 3 months ago

And what groups would those be?

Sequoia 1 year, 3 months ago

I don't know all the groups. But I know for sure that I sat in the Budweiser building last year with a bunch of other young people and talked about the future of Jefferson City. I saw posters advertising public meetings where people could come and do the same thing.

Now, you could ask whether those groups were just formalities to provide justification for things they wanted to do anyway... but regardless, they happened.

rodinman 1 year, 3 months ago

Attended a meeting in that building a couple of years ago. Those business owners present said they supported and thought having a local casino would be good economically for JC, a vote was coming up. Yet they refused to publicly back it because they were afraid of the backlash against their businesses or when they ran for city council or school board. Since that night, I would never do anything that would put a penny in their pockets. Watch them for their ulterior motives.

seeno 1 year, 3 months ago

Increase workers pay so that they can keep up with the cost of living and maybe have some extra to start a business, pay for better upkeep of their property, spend more on wants,etc. I noticed that Hawthorn Bank is backing this. They took a TARP bailout in 2008 and have not paid back any of the 30 million so far. They have made money on the bailout though. Who's paying for that. Taxpayers.

JMO 1 year, 3 months ago

Would someone please answer the question I asked on another transformation tax thread?

Why should the taxpayers of Jefferson City pay millions of dollars to rehab St. Mary's for the benefit of Lincoln University? Why shouldn't LU pay for that themselves? Does the city actually expect to get a nearly $5mil benefit from this investment?

melbrooks 1 year, 3 months ago

From the jeffersoncitytransformation.com FAQ:

" In the case of the possible Lincoln expansion at St. Mary’s, the sales tax would help to lower the cost of entry for the expansion of education programs which are currently full. Hundreds of new nursing students could soon be attending classes in a working medical facility and becoming citizens of Jefferson City with good-paying jobs upon graduation. The redevelopment of St. Mary’s is not limited to the Lincoln participation either as there is room for private investment, the Innovation Center, and room for small businesses as well."

JCLifer 1 year, 3 months ago

This doesn't really answer the question.

I still have not heard an answer regarding approval from th Missouri Board of Nursing or Department of higher Education. Many schools have tried to Expand therir Nursing programs but have not been allowed to. The State Board of nbursing tightly controls the nursing programs to keep pay up for nurses and reduce the supply. Yes, politics control nursing schools too.

mleroux 1 year, 3 months ago

JCLifer - That question is one of many readers' questions we have gathered and sent to the campaign team to answer in Sunday's Views section. Please check this Sunday's paper for the answer to your question. Thank you for your input.

Madeleine Leroux News Tribune reporter

JCLifer 1 year, 3 months ago

Thanks.

JMO 1 year, 3 months ago

Ok. Thank you finally. I was not able to actually see the answer to that question, although I read the FAQ's, because it was covered by something else on that page when I pull it up.

Nonetheless, I have to wonder how they figure a few hundred new students (which, comeon, how do they know it will attract that many) will be worth the $4.6 mil it will cost. I'm not an accountant, but $4.6 mil is a LOT of money! I am pleased that there is room for other businesses there - but not surprised - wasn't there a Panera bread there at some point?

I just think I'd be happier if the city would see some immediate return, rather than hoping that the students will come and stay when they graduate. But maybe that's just a desire for instant gratification.

asb 1 year, 3 months ago

Melbrooks' example is perfect. Detractors of Transformation claim that tax money spent re-purposing St Marys is only good for Lincoln, when in fact thorough analysis, and hours of discussion and evaluation from everybody wanting input, have made it clear that spending money there will bring more economic fire than it'll cost. Nearly every listed project is just like St Marys . . . detractors claim the money goes to a few special and powerful interests, leaving the rest of us to pay for it, while careful examination and broad input shows most will generate more for the local economy than the taxes will cost. If you don't trust the handlers of the money, participate, don't whine or hurt the rest of us with mistaken fears.

JC27 1 year, 3 months ago

We are participating by trying to prevent you from taking $50 million dollars from local businesses and residents. Support Jefferson City residents and businesses and Vote No

JCLifer 1 year, 3 months ago

Why would they be trusted? They still have the ambulance tax, but no ambulance. They passed the hotel tax last year to pay for the convention center, but already they want more tax money.

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