Tag: Paris Texas Chamber

A Public Hearing To Give-Away $20-million            

 

Starting at 5:30pm on September 9, 2024, in the City Council Chamber, the City of Paris, Texas, will hold a public hearing on a $20-Million Give-Away.

It is the same project on which the city recently was prepared to offer “community development” incentives of $7-million. 

Prior to 1987, Texas cities were not allowed to give incentives to solicit businesses, industry, or other endeavors. Then the same foolish voters, who, previously, in 1981, approved local Appraisal Districts to establish a protective barrier for local taxing units, allowed cities to use public taxes for private purposes. (FYI side note: The state budget in 1977 was $24 billion; today, it’s over $264-billion.)

So now, the City is setting the stage to do a $20-million give-away to subsidize development of private property – “to create the Forestbrook Public Improvement District No. 1.”

Behind all the diligently researched and carefully crafted words, it dumps another $20-million of debt on taxpayers. Council members will then take the $20-million and give it to the private limited liability company, Lone Star Planned Developments, LLC.

Now, the city doesn’t say it like this, of course, as it relies on sizzle to sell a rotten steak; no matter how well it is cooked. For instance,

  • The hearing is to “accept public comments” and “discuss” the creation of a public improvement district, which the city intends to approve (they’ve done the homework, its where the info comes from – the hearing is simply a CYA thing).
  •  presented, this proposed District has a total land area of 59.62 acres; roughly, the $20-million is an incurred $335,457 per acre cost just for improvements (?)
  • Improvements include design and construction, landscaping, streets, drainage, off-street parking, water and sewer lines and services, etc., including other off-site projects that would be a benefit to the property
  • Acquisition, by purchase or otherwise, of real property
  • Payment of expenses incurred in the establishment, administration, and operation of the District
  • Payment of financing associated with financing public improvement projects
  • The city says this district “would include property owned” by the limited liability company, but has not disclosed if there is or isn’t any current indebtedness. Nor, if there is, the amount
  • “The city shall levy assessment on each parcel within the District in a manner that results in imposing equal shares of the costs on property similarly benefited” (but who determines ‘equal’ and ‘similarly’ – you know, like east and west?)

There’s more, most of it Happy Double Talk: “The city is not obligated to provide any funds to finance the authorized improvements, except for assessments levied on real property within the District.”

That’s government splitting a hair for you –

The $20 million goes for planning and design, land acquisition, administration, land development, utility installations, streets, curbs and gutters, acquisition of other properties, and related costs; So, what costs remain?

The assessments are on top of property taxes, and are calculated according to the size of the parcel, tract or lot, while property taxes are assessed on appraised value. Unlike the property tax, however, assessments made by an Improvement District expire once paid in full.

But isn’t adding $20-million (plus interest on top of the property tax) pricing improvement out of the market? And it’s going to take a long time to pay off $20-million.

Especially, if property taxes are not frozen. If they are, is that fair to those who have to pay higher taxes?

The Paris Texas Chamber hopes, regardless what the city claims, that taxpayers understand that repayment of city-related debt (plus the interest) is guaranteed by the City of Paris, and if results do not materialize or the economy fails, the taxpayers will be “obligated” to pay it​?

What does Paris need most? Spending $20-million over 10-years investing in people or subsidizing a limited liability company with nothing to lose but a dream?

Since the 1980s, Paris has done a lot of dumb things but, evidently, as our new brand warns, we keep reaching higher . . .

 

                                       return to    Paris Texas Chamber of Commerce

 

Links:

AMENITIES VS ESSENTIAL

Residential Renewal or Stupidity

private-public opportunities are not allowed taxpayers

 

When private money is taken to spent on a public-private purpose, the private-public partnership is the epitome` of socialism. An example being the planned development in Paris, Texas, by the partnership of the Dallas-based Javelin Investment Group and the Paris Housing Authority.

Council members approved an eight-acre site for a multi-story 60-unit apartment for Section 8 families and private-pay clients by the group and the housing authority. By using this as an excuse, in its desire to show “progress”, the council also approved granting commercial and residential tax abatement on the 19-acre block owned by the private investors.

Go down to City Hall and declare your intention not to pay your property taxes for seven or ten years.

Javelin is in the business to make money.

The city is forcing taxpayers to give it to them.

The Paris Texas Chamber realizes that the nation is well on its way to socialism, but what brain freeze dreamed this nonsense up?

Why will a city provide private developers opportunities it will not allow taxpayers who have paid the bills for years? Instead, over just the last two years it increased the budget over 7-percent (roughly $5 million), dumping the responsibility for it on in-city residents.

There’s nothing fair or balanced – or even intelligent – about what Paris is doing; its merely a scheme to benefit the few by stiffing the majority; and cover the resulting manure pit with Happy Talk.

 

There’s no accountability.

Socialist Eugene V. Debs made a great-sounding speech in Girard, Kansas, in 1908, which became his public platform: “When we are in partnership and have stopped clutching each other’s throats, when we have stopped enslaving each other, we will stand together, hands clasped, and be friends. We will be comrades, we will be brothers, and we will begin the march to the grandest civilization the human race has ever known.”

(Dream on, brother, dream on!!!) But someone must make decisions. Debs never could agree on who that someone should be … he ran for president five times.

In his first race, in 1900, Debs was the candidate of the Social Democratic Party, which led to the formation of the Socialist Party. As its candidate in 1920, he received almost one million votes, 6% of the total.

In 2020, with the private-public State Capitalism partnership of Big Business and Big Government in full force, slightly over 50% of American voters cast ballots to increase the role of government.

Since 1900, millions of people who, voluntarily or non-voluntarily, entered a promised “democratic socialism” partnership have been killed by their government. The dead surpassed 30-million in China; 6-million plus in Germany; an estimated 12 to 15 million in Russia. Cambodia killed killed half its citizens. Other countries have slaughter hundreds of hundred thousands. And millions of people today live in human misery and enslavement under the same generic dream – the “democratic socialism” – of Cuba, Mexico, Venezuela, and Indo-China and the Mid-East nations, and others, that seek control of resources and the means of production.

And there’s no accountability . . .

There’s not even an apology.

In recent years, both major parties have gradually endorsed many of the ideas Debs advocated. Its why the nation is absolutely divided – and $34-trillion in debt.

So what does this have to do with Paris Texas?

Suckers always believe that government can manage or guarantee happiness. But if we can’t do it for ourselves, how can those in government do it for us?

What Paris is doing reflects a wide range of misinterpretations of sound community and economic development, and a serious lack of a common knowledge of socialism’s devious and complicated evolution, and how it operates in practice across the political spectrum.

Those encouraging socialism are mentally-ill people who should never be in leadership positions.

Government favoritism – socialism – is wrong, whether in Paris or Austin Texas, or Nutland DC.

Or, any nation.