Michael Hohmann wrote: cash-strapped cities and towns are using eminent domain to force people out of their homes to make way for casinos, condos, and shopping malls.
Bill Cullen Responds: I am thoroughly confused as to what the Supreme Court thought they would achieve with this ruling. They seem to have changed the threshold from “public use” to “public purpose.” This small change in wording has a huge impact. “Use” had always been defined as for parks, roads, schools, and other useful government functions. “Purpose” can be defined as simply creating jobs or increasing property taxes. It is very broad! The supreme court mentioned something about how states should define what is right when it comes to taking private property. This is confusing (to me) as the constitution provides guidance that the supreme court ignored (although the dissent talked about it!). While this is a huge decision, Minneapolis and St. Paul have been doing this for years. A dear friend of mine, that works for St. Paul PED, said they were very careful as the case law is not clear about what is legal and what is not. This decision will provide some of that clarity, and government is likely to get more aggressive. Money for projects is readily available via Tax Increment Financing, Section 42 tax credits, CPED and other avenues. In a few years many homeowners in Minneapolis and St. Paul may experience what Keith Reitman is experiencing now. Too bad few worry about the attack Keith is fighting right now: HYPERLINK "http://www.mnforum.org/pipermail/mpls/2005-June/042205.html"http://www.mnfo rum.org/pipermail/mpls/2005-June/042205.html. This is huge and this is frightening. Regards, Bill Cullen Whittier Landlord. -- No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG Anti-Virus. Version: 7.0.323 / Virus Database: 267.8.0/27 - Release Date: 6/23/2005 REMINDERS: 1. Be civil! Please read the NEW RULES at http://www.e-democracy.org/rules. If you think a member is in violation, contact the list manager at [EMAIL PROTECTED] before continuing it on the list. 2. Don't feed the troll! Ignore obvious flame-bait. For state and national discussions see: http://e-democracy.org/discuss.html For external forums, see: http://e-democracy.org/mninteract ________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A Civil City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:[email protected] Subscribe, Un-subscribe, etc. at: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
