Even in this day of graphic intense video and computer games most can remember the video-arcade game that started it all in 1980, “Pac-man.” Who can forget the little round yellow critter with the chomping mouth that seemed to exist only to gobble up every pellet within its reach. In a similar manner, in the game of “Branson Tif-man,” the City of Branson seemingly exists only to gobble up all the current tax revenue it can from other taxing entities in its seemingly insatiable greed to use TIF (Tax Increment Financing) to control the economic future of this region regardless of the cost to its citizens and neighbors.
What is that cost? Oh about, $49 million dollars. Whoa there, hold on Seagull, isn’t it true that if $49 million in TIF wasn’t spent that the big box stores would have gone elsewhere? Oh really, how much of a TIF did it take to get Lowes or Kmart into our region? What TIF was used to get Wal-Mart into Branson originally or to its new location at the Branson Mall?
How much of a TIF was given to IMAX, the Branson Mall, the Red Roof Mall, or Tangier Mall? Didn’t the city’s own consultants point out that the negative impact on existing retail in Branson because of the TIF financed Branson Landing would be over 20% for the first two years after it opened? Curiously, no one has ever explained what is going to miraculously reverse the trend after the first two years. How does the use of still more TIF financing to build still more retail in Branson Hills help either Branson Landing or Branson’s existing retail establishments?
Why would any developer invest in Branson without trying to get a TIF? How can they compete against TIF financed developers who are getting reimbursed for the cost of their land, grading, site lighting, landscaping, vehicle curbs, loading docks, etc? How much more competitive could other developers in the Branson area be if they too were reimbursed millions of dollars in fees they have to pay for engineering, survey, construction management, and other fees and permits, etc?
Not too long ago it seems, there used to be an effort to develop our region for the benefit of all. Wasn’t that the purpose of the Branson Area Regional Economic Development Association (BREDA)? When did things change from trying to develop our region for the betterment of all its citizens to the Branson gets it all scenario?
Were an Ole Seagull a betting Seagull he would bet it was when developers determined that the City of
To help insure that the TIF commission makes the recommendation that the City of Branson wants, and to control the process, from the way minutes are kept to the selection of the commissions chairman, the City of Branson appoints its six aldermen to the ten person commission. The practical result is that the Branson Board of Aldermen gets the recommendation they want from the commission and forwards it to themselves for final action. To paraphrase a popular local Russian comedian might say, “What a process!”
The sad thing is that the citizens of this region are going to lose millions of dollars in taxes to get the benefit of the big boxes that had already made the decision to come into our area. Some would, with some justification say, “Come on now Seagull, maybe they were going to come into our area but they might not have gone into Branson.”
To that an Ole Seagull would say, “So what? Are the future finances for our school district and development within the county worth risking so that the City of
