Dear Editor:
The St. Mary's TIF needs to be rejected. The TIF commission and City Council set the precedent last year for blighted property along Highway 54 when they rejected the Truman Hotel TIF. Both properties are similar in size and less than 1.5 miles apart. The only real difference is the owners. If the St. Mary's TIF is approved, it may bring up issues of favoritism or racism.
Has anyone questioned the cost estimates like they did on Truman Hotel? Some concluded that they inflated their cost. Is the $31 or $44 million remodel cost for St. Mary's inflated? Others stated that the Truman Hotel project would proceed without the TIF approval. This could also be said of the St. Mary's project. Farmer Holdings purchased the property just 18 months ago. Why purchase it if you are not going to redevelop it? And is Jefferson City going to start guaranteeing a 8 percent profit for all investments in this town? I am sure there are a lot of other business owners who would like to sign up for that.
Jefferson City Public Schools are trying to rebuild trust with the community. This will be hard to do if they approve a tax break for one business after everyone else's taxes have been increased. Especially since Farmer-owned companies were supporters of the tax increase.