The Chamber's Bull**** Continues !
Wilkes University is buying the 10 East South St Highrise. This is a free country and they have every right to make the purchase, but don't tell the taxpayers that it is good for the economy of the City.
Why didn't the T.L. reporter speak to a financial person from the City, County or school district. A total of $158,000.00 a year will be lost to those entities, according to the reporter. What will that cost in teachers/school supplies and city and county services.
The T.L. reporter decided to talk to the W-B Chamber lackey, Larry Newman. It is obvious that the Chamber is running the City but at least talk to a government official. Newman said that the loss of $138,000 tax dollars every year, forever, pales in comparsion to the potential impact of having 405 students living in downtown W-B's growing business district.
There are already 100 students living in the building so at best there will 300 new students in the building. Students who will be moving three blocks from where they now live.
The lost to W-B school district is $84,000.00. The new students will not be paying property taxes. Maybe they will be working paying a wage tax. I believe W-B school distict receives .5% of the wage tax. The 405 students would have to earn $41,000.00 each in taxable salary to make up that loss.
The City will lose $47,000.00. That could be a police officer or a fire fighter. That amount over 10 years could pay for a new firehouse in the Heights.
It is time that the Chamber does what it is supposed to do, help the largest city in the county grow it's tax base, not help give away free tax break properties to its friends and cronies. Also stop sending the real businesses to the strip malls and industrial parks outside the City, some of which are owned by the Chamber.
posted by Calvin @ 3:32 PM
18 Comments:
Finally someone is printing the truth to SAVE OUR CITY. Another building with NO TAXES. I guess mom and pop will just have to pay more and continue to get less from Leighton.
im sorry, i don't think i understand what anonymous is saying. Are you saying Leighton should have stopped the real estate transaction??? Is that even possible???
by the way, SAVE OUR CITY, don't you have your own website???
I can see the job Leighton did at Pine Ridge. The same ten houses are still there from a year ago. Most are still empty with For Sale signs. Actually Leighton should stay out of the Real Estate business like he professed several years ago. READ THE ORIGINAL POST. That is what makes sense to me.
To protect the taxpayers Leighton should have supported the sale ONLY if the city would get in lieu taxes for the fair market value.
How much will the city getnow per year for police and fire protection to that building??????
If leighton wants to keep doing real estate , iam sure next year all the non supporters out there will make his Dream Come True.
yet no one has answered my question, Does the Mayor have the power to veto a sale of a property??? i really don't think he does, and if he can't, how can we blame the sale on him?
I don't understand it. He cuts public safety and then buys a bank on Public Square for a large sum of money and it still remains empty. He could have put three more cops on the street instead of that foolish move.
"He cuts public safety" i would think adding 11 new cops to the streets isn't cutting public safety. This sounds like the same old stuff from the heights. Once you start making sense, then write, otherwise keep your nonsense to yourself. You are making me dumber reading your comments.
Maybe you should go back to your own site or talk to some of the police. I guess you believe Leighton that "Crime is Down" in Wilkes-Barre. There have ben more murders in W-B so far this year than in the history of the city. I don't believe the size of the police force has grown. He just hired those cops due to retirements. But then again he did increase taxes and add a $52.00 right to work tax. That is in addition to a 2.8% wage tax, a sewage tax, a recycle tax, high property tax ect, ect ect. By the way - this is the United States of America and the last I knew the people had a right to their opinion.
To the person posting anonymously about a city worker doing what he/she wants. This person's so called co workers are getting blamed for this on another local blogger's site. I highly doubt that this is a co-worker of this person and it is not fair for anyone to get the blame except for the sneaky person that is doing this. The other blogger should really look into this before putting blame onto co-workers and questioning their work ethics because I am sure if he thought hard enough he would know who it was!
I cant beleive what i just heard ...Mayor i lie ordered 300 kegs of beer for the great family affair at kirby park.....Just a thought if this is true....tells you what is important to him.......
i beleive
i l i e
I agree with Calvin, The City Administration is giving the City away to the Wilkes College and the taxpayers are funding it....The College pays 100,000.00 in lieu of taxes and gets benefits of 300,000.00 This type of behavior is an insult to the taxpayers and must stop....lets vote Leighton and his political cronnies out in May 2007
yet no one has answered my question, Does the Mayor have the power to veto a sale of a property??? i really don't think he does, and if he can't, how can we blame the sale on him?
6:29 AM
The City Council has approved the sale...These guys on Council are the ones to Blame for allowing the sale of this property to Wilkes College because the Zoning Board needs the City Council's approval to be able to sell the property and make it a non taxable property...lets get them out of office before our taxes are raised to cover for their mistakes, to make the Mayor richer by allowing Leighton these type of kickbacks from the College
The Wilkes Barre Online Blog Site is a disgrace to the City of Wilkes Barre....this Marc Cour, that runs it,needs to be told by his friends like Ann Bergold and Kathy Kane that the City Democrats are on there way out of office and there will be a change in 2007. The taxpayers of this City are sick and tired of the " in your face" Attitude. Kathy Kane and a few others on City Council try to intimidate the taxpayers but it is'nt working and the taxpayers will win in 2007.
Walter, if they are paying a PILOT then there is no need to worry about them not paying taxes. It is the same equivalent. Am i right or am i right????
I listed you on NEPA Blogs.
http://nepablogs.blogspot.com/2006/10/blogs-alive.html
Payment in liew of taxes is now paid to all taxing bodies just those with the levage to force it. Kings and Wilkes claim it is a voluntary contribution But it is actually a contribution with arm twisting from the government entity getting the payment.
Since ALL government entities are not getting part of the PILOT and it is not equal to the amount of the actual taxes.
Also the pilot does not go up if taxes go up. So PIOLT or not the taxpayers are getting screwed.
Post a Comment
<< Home