[Winona Online Democracy] I have been reading these postings with interest for the past week or so. I think everyone has been making good points.
As county assessor, I never have any say on who comes in or who doesn't. Once they are built my office assesses them. However I do have some observations based on my 25 years of government experience: * Everyone wants industry. There are more "Star Cities" located in Minnesota than I can count. However with the economic slowdown of the past few years, there have not been many new industries, especially those that deal with heavy goods, moving anywhere. * When good industry inquires about moving into an area, generally they want tax increment financing or tax abatement. These two items involve taxes either being forgiven or returned to the property owner in the form of a refund. There have been cases in smaller towns where the city had to construct the building before the business moved in. While these deals do often provide jobs, taxpayers end up picking up a lot of their fixes costs. * In other places that I have worked, I have seen cities roll over for a company. After a few years, the company finds a better deal or can't absorb losses and moves away, taking with it the jobs that they promised. * Big box stores are popping up everywhere. Towns much smaller than Winona have a "Wally". Owatonna seems to have a lot of them for the size of city they are. They must be economically feasible for the owners to build as they keep going up everywhere. * When a big box moves in, often existing businesses need to adapt. A good friend of mine owned a hardware store in a town about the size of St.Charles when a Wally moved in. I asked him how he was going to adjust. His comment was that they can sell toasters cheaper than he can so he won't be selling toasters any longer. However, he increased his plumbing and electrical inventory because "do it yourselfers" needed assistance with home projects and he and his staff could assist the homeowner in making their own repairs. The 16-year-old student working in that section of Walmart hardly knew the difference between a fuse and a switch. His business actually increased after Wally came in. * In the six years that I have been county assessor here large projects built include Calista Court, Hy-Vee, Target, Holiday Inn and Menards. It is my understanding that none of these businesses received city or county funding to offset taxes. Therefore they are contributing to the tax base which in turn reduced taxes on all of our houses and small businesses. As I earlier said, professionally I do not care what comes in or not. That is not my job. As a resident of Winona, I am always concerned about existing business owners. I just hope that whatever decision is made is done with regard for the best interest of all persons and businesses that currently are in town. Steve Hacken Confidentiality Notice: This e-mail message, including any attachments, is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s) and may contain confidential and privileged information. Any unauthorized review, use, disclosure or distribution is prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient, please contact the sender by reply e-mail and destroy all copies of the original message. _______________________________________________ This message was posted to Winona Online Democracy All messages must be signed by the senders actual name. No commercial solicitations are allowed on this list. To manage your subscription or view the message archives, please visit http://mapnp.mnforum.org/mailman/listinfo/winona Any problems or suggestions can be directed to mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] If you want help on how to contact elected officials, go to the Contact page at http://www.winonaonlinedemocracy.org
