DAILY WISCONSIN

Local Government

Government Spending, Local Government

Incentives in conditions of supposedly high demand 

Still, it’s pretty much a circus monkey ransom note from folks who want to soothe our pain of having nearly zero vacant industrial space by giving them free land and cash to build industrial space that would attract tenants so quickly, they’ll notice we have “nearly zero” vacant class “A” industrial space just in time again for the next ransom note demanding more free land and money to build class “A” industrial space …despite high demand for it. Ad nauseam.

Via Janesville Industrial Space: Demand So High, Developers Need “Incentives” From Government To Build Supply @ Rock Netroots.

Local Government, Regulations

Victory Over City Hall

Score one for the “little guy”, as this week a Winnebago County Judge rules against the City of Oshkosh in its lawsuit against the founder of the Downtown Pub Crawl.  The judge found that Joe Kubiak–the man that drama queen Mayor Steve Cummings once claimed was “holding the city hostage”–is not responsible for securing a special event permit or paying the fee for that permit.  It ends a nearly two-year legal battle between the two sides–that only added more to the taxpayers’ expense.

My Two Cents: Who Says You Can’t Fight City Hall?

Law, Local Government, Newspapers, Open Government, Public Records, State Government, Wisconsin

Public Records Requests Are A Right, Not a Gift 

So a local paper complains that a local school superintendent won’t comply with a public records request, won’t put the paper on a media contact list, and simply ‘must’ improve communications. 

A few points –

1. Compliance with a public records request isn’t a ‘communications’ issue; it’s a legal issue, of rights of residents under Wisconsin law….

Via 4 Points About Public Records Requests @ FREE WHITEWATER.

Business, Government Spending, Local Government, Press, Taxes, WEDC

Janesville Gazette Distorts meaning of Tax Incremental Financing 

First of all, TIF districts were not designed or intended to be used by municipalities to “acquire” property or weaponized to allow private parties to acquire property through government force or below market value. But apparently, according to the newspaper’s new definition, that is how a TIF District works. The part about “charging” the cost of common areas and infrastructure to the district IS how it is supposed to be, but ironically, that’s not how the TIF works for Dollar General.

Via Local Tools Rework TIF Districts Into Tax Exempt Districts For the Oligarchs @ Rock Netroots.