Do your neighbors think government works for them, or do they think the system is rigged?
MAGA Republican, Democratic Socialist, somewhere in between, or nowhere in between – there is something Traverse City residents can agree on: End TIF 97 and focus on things that affect everyday residents.
Right before our eyes, the Traverse City Downtown Development Authority is encouraging residents to vote against their own best interests and support a system that will remain in place for the next 20 years.
Trust in government at all levels is broken. A “no” vote on City Proposal 1 won’t restore the trust in local government, but it will give citizens a sense of accomplishment for pointing Traverse City in a better direction.
City Proposal 1 is about community priorities. Are heated sidewalks critical on a few streets downtown so that a few special property owners don’t have to shovel snow like everyone else in Traverse City? Heated sidewalks for $15 million are included in the DDA list of priorities for capital projects.
According to the DDA and supporters of extending TIF 97, Traverse City taxpayers will have to foot the bill for these heated sidewalks if we don’t vote “yes.” Without TIF 97, they argue, all these infrastructure costs will have to be paid for by Traverse City taxpayers.
How about burying electric lines in the alley between Front Street and State Street for $13 million? The DDA and its TIF supporters want Traverse City taxpayers to believe that these and other items on their $114 million wish list are critical infrastructure!
Misleading at best – and certainly not priorities for everyday residents.
Starting in 2028, there will be $3 million of tax revenue returned annually to Traverse City, if residents end TIF 97. The City Commission could use $0.5 million on downtown and all the rest on higher priorities throughout Traverse City – including $471,000 of tax revenue collected for Act345 Police and Fire Pension going to fund the pensions and not diverted to TIF.
The $0.5 million for downtown is more than enough to cover the farmers market, trash pickup, a patrol officer, and a contribution to stormwater – expenses the DDA is using to argue for extending TIF 97.
Voters rarely have a chance to say “no” to a rigged system they believe works against their own interests and those of their neighbors.
Vote “no” on Traverse City Proposal 1.
End TIF 97.
Let’s put our community’s priorities ahead of a $114 million wish list.