By Mike Thayer
Some time back in 2000 or 2001, somebody in Coralville’s *leadership* circle sat down and figured out how to manipulate the state’s Tax Increment Financing law (TIF). They looked for a way to skirt the law so the city could use TIF revenue from Coral Ridge Mall to spur development in the Iowa River Landing.
Question: What kind of a person (people), sits down and plans out how to skirt the law?
The result of that skirting, that manipulation, resulted in Coralville extending the Coral Ridge TIF district along a right of way on Interstate 80 to include the Iowa River Landing. They played a conniving connect the dots game. AS IF the Mall and the Iowa River Landing are truly connected, as in adjacent according to the spirit of Iowa’s TIF law?
Please.
Can you say, “Manipulation?” You bet. Was the maneuver legal? Technically, but in a splitting hairs, a dropped two words out of a Miranda rights reading kind of way….. Honorable? Absolutely not, in no way does what Coralville did back in 2002 honor the spirit and intent of TIF law.
Such manipulation is costing taxpayers. Not just in Coralville, but in the school district, the county, and the state as well.
What Coralville did was create a district that isn't really a congruent district, so they could take money out of an existing TIF - the Coral Ridge Mall area - and use it to develop a new area, the Iowa River Landing.
Expanding the district as Coralville did wasn’t found to be illegal by Iowa’s Supreme Court (not without some dissent on the final ruling mind you), but clearly, there was a manipulation of the law. Without question, Coralville violated the intent of the TIF law and the state needs to shore up its rule.
So again, what kind of a person sits down and plans out how to skirt the law?
Think about it. Coralville’s so-called leaders sat down and plotted how to cheat on a test.
Where’s the honor in that?
Compounding the lack of honor problem, Coralville leaders arrogantly forced Coralville taxpayers to cough up more than $10 million last week, in a literal cash give-away to retailer Von Maur so they can move from the Sycamore Mall, to the Iowa River Landing….. The expanded TIF district.
Such cheating, maneuvering and manipulation by *leadership* doesn’t advance Coralville as a community. There is no honor in what Kelly Hayworth, Mayor Jim Fausett and the city council have done in skirting TIF law and negotiating deals like the Von Maur move.
Sadly, such *deals* are not anomalies or unforeseen isolated incidences for Coralville’s decision makers. Such planning and deal making is intentional, it has become habitual, it is based in a growing arrogance. Coralville’s rulers have spurned Iowa City, North Liberty, the county and most importantly, its own tax base. Is Tiffin next?
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