Dear Editor:
Steve Meystrik's suggestion in the Dec. 7 edition that we shop Capital Mall only when absolutely necessary is a good idea. His concerns about offensive merchandise is ignored because it is sold all over the country. That is a disgusting answer. One of the excuses given by the City Council when they gave the Mall owners $15 million in tax money was that the owners were local and therefore would do a good job of running the Mall. A one percent sales tax is added to merchandise sold in and around the Mall including the grocery store and restaurants in the parking lot.
I told the City Council that the economy was improving and that tax receipts would increase. Now, tax receipts are above projections. A recent article quoted them saying that a tax increase would not be approved by a vote of citizens. Yet they circumvented voters' wishes by giving Mall owners a special tax. The new city manager was given a salary higher than any other city manager in the history of Jefferson City. The City Council does not have money for citizens' requests for services, but can give a much traveled city manager $145,000.
On page B7 of the paper an article detailed the financial problems of Sears, Radioshack, Penney's, Aeropostale, Abercrombie & Fitch and American Eagle Outfitters. Radioshack has closed one store in Jefferson City. Sears is selling assets to get money to stay open and has not made a profit in four years and Penney's has increasing losses. The article said that Sears would close half of its stores by 2017. Several of these stores are in the Mall.
I told council members these facts yet they give hard earned tax money to the Capital Mall. With numerous shopping venues available citizens should remember where their money will get the best value.
Taxpayer's money could be going down a rat hole never to be seen again. Malls are out-of-date retail outlets. Councilmen are living in the 1960s. The Mall is a bad investment for taxpayers. Most of them do not know that they are paying extra to shop there. The councilmen are counting on this ignorance to sustain profit and give rich people more tax money.