"Vote NO on the Port's property Tax Increase" Your Daily Patella Part Deux

[Chief]

http://i128.photobucket.com/albums/p184/thejoerebel/bob4rv.jpg

Date: July 11th, 2007


Here is another reason to Vote no on the Port of Vancouver’s Outrageous attempt to raise your property taxes 132 % over the rate they now collect.

Reason # 2

The port claims they need more money, to buy and develop the proposed Gateway Property, yet, the Port apparently has so many excess dollars that they can afford give up, for the next 25 years 100% of the incremental tax revenues generated by the Taxpayer subsidized Killian Pacific Riverwest project (Also know at the new Library project) and the surrounding 6 block area.

And to further insult the intelligence of the taxpayers as it relates to picking the taxpayers pockets, for this Subsidized Project, the mayor was quoted as boasting “We are getting a half million dollars a year for the next 25 years from the State of Washington”. Where does he think that half a million dollars is coming from.

I am continually amazed that he and other politicians think that we voters are so ignorant or naïve we don’t know that government or government agencies, whether they be Federal, State, City, County, Port or some unelected annointed body do not have two nickels to rub together. They only have what they take from the taxpayer’s pockets.

Note: The Citizens for a strong economy did not respond to his statement.

Vote NO. Don’t let those rascals tax you out of your home. At the rate property taxes are increasing you will no longer own your home you will be renting it from the government.

We deserve to be represented not dictated to.

Larry Patella.
CDR USN (ret)

[Chief]

Sorry folks, I'm not up to rebutting this one tonight. Unfortunately I have to do the Commander's research for him to prove again that he's rambling, increasingly irrational in his arguments, and just plain wrong.


"Won't someone shut that man up??!!"

Lyrics from the play "1776"

::)

[Chief]

Let us begin.

Let's set the Wayback Machine for May 20th, 2007. The place is right here at Clarkblog.org, at this link.

http://clarkblog.org/index.php/topic,1486.0.html

Topic: City ready to use public money for Riverwest (Read 50 times)


Killian Pacific, LLC of Vancouver proposes to develop the mixed-use project on 3.75 acres on the southeast corner of East Evergreen Boulevard and C Street, where the Carr auto dealership now operates.

Besides the library, Riverwest would offer 195 condominiums, 100,000 square feet of office space, a 65-room hotel, a restaurant, an outdoor fireplace and 850 to 900 underground parking spaces.

Vancouver would assist Killian Pacific, LLC with development costs by purchasing 300 to 400 of the parking spaces for an estimated $15 million.

The city would pay off the debt over 25 years using revenue from three sources:

- 75 percent of incremental property tax generated by Riverwest that would flow to the city, Clark County, the Port of Vancouver and the Fort Vancouver Regional Library District. State law excludes school districts, so the Vancouver school district would get its full share of additional property taxes generated by Riverwest.

- 100 percent of the incremental city and county sales tax from business activity at Riverwest. Part of the county sales tax, such as the newly enacted 0.1 percent tax for methamphetamine and mental health treatment, is not affected, nor is C-Tran's 0.5 percent sales tax.

- A dollar-for-dollar matching contribution of local revenues by state government, up to $500,000 annually.

Each government agency must sign off on the deal. The port and library already have agreed to allow 75 percent of their slice of incremental Riverwest property taxes to be used to repay the parking debt.

That story ran in the local paper, and was written primarily to cover the development agreement the City of Vancouver was entering into with Killian on the Riverwest site. I got the impression that the Port of Vancouver's involvement in that project is minimal at best, and that the tax revenues they were giving up was to cover a financial committment they had previously made on this for other considerations.

Again, the story Commander Patella is using here to beat the Port over the head with is thin at best, and I have an inquiry into the Port for further information on exactly what this really meant. In any case the real story is certainly not as simplistic as the Commander contends.

[Chief]

And to further insult the intelligence of the taxpayers as it relates to picking the taxpayers pockets, for this Subsidized Project, the mayor was quoted as boasting “We are getting a half million dollars a year for the next 25 years from the State of Washington”. Where does he think that half a million dollars is coming from.

I am continually amazed that he and other politicians think that we voters are so ignorant or naïve we don’t know that government or government agencies, whether they be Federal, State, City, County, Port or some unelected annointed body do not have two nickels to rub together. They only have what they take from the taxpayer’s pockets.

Once again the Commander is taking things that the Mayor of the City of Vancouver has said and done, and using it as a blunt instrument to rail against his obvious business rival, the Port of Vancouver. He is comparing apples with and hand grenades; daisies with running chainsaws; his comparisons do not make any rational sense, nor do they apply to the question at hand.

There are good reasons why we pay the taxes that we do. I will share some thoughts on that in a separate posting...but to imply that the Port of Vancouver is doing something nefarious, or is stealing tax money from people, or trying to take your house away, is irresponsible, irrational, and should be beneath Commander Patella's dignity.

Note: The Citizens for a strong economy did not respond to his statement.

Vote NO. Don’t let those rascals tax you out of your home. At the rate property taxes are increasing you will no longer own your home you will be renting it from the government.

We deserve to be represented not dictated to.

I have no idea what "statement" the Commander is referring to, but I have no doubt why Citizens For a Stron Economy would refuse to answer anything he had to say about anything.

I attended the Port of Vancouver regular meeting yesterday, and if you watch the CVTV broadcast of it you will know I was there. You will also know that Larry Patella was NOT there, so his cries of not being represented ring absolutely hollow. The simple fact is that Larry doesn't want honest answers, especially those that do not reinforce his hatred for his business rival, the Port of Vancouver. It is obvious that he long ago set out on a personal vendetta agianst the Port, and it could be for many reasons; I won't speculate but I have a couple of pet theories...

In any case the local newspaper is complicit in suppressing the good news coming out of the Port of Vancouver, and in spreading Larry Patella's rantings that have no basis in fact. I don't bother writing letters to the columbian any more, especially after they threatened to sue me in April for being "unfair competition". All I can do is rebut this nonsense here, and pray that the columbian's circulation continues to fall as a result of the news they willfully choose to supress.

I will eagerly await Part Three... ::)

Stout Hearts...