Developers will soon become city governments
Jul 13, 2007 22:47 | Development
It's not enough to just
manipulate and subvert the government. Now developers
want to actually BE the government!
A bill (Sen. 146) is being rushed through the state legislature that would let big land-owners/developers petition their municipalities for designation as "Local Improvement Districts" -- "bodies corporate and politic" that could do most things city/town governments can do, but without the accountability, transparency, and state oversight. Each new municipality -- complete with its own seal! -- could issue tax-free bonds, collect property assessments (i.e., taxes) from its neighbors to pay them off, get private and possibly public land taken for its developers by eminent domain, use the taxpayer subsidy to build whatever they define as "infrastructure." This could include parking garages, private shuttle bus systems, sports, arts and recreational (casinos? stadiums? golf courses?) facilities, dedicated highway ramps, and so on.
Yup, a new property tax, this time imposed on the neighbors of big landowners for infrastructure the big guys want, free from the limits of Prop 2 1/2!
Taxation without representation: Long ago, it got Bostonians to take serious action. Last year, public outrage shamed the legislature into backing off. This year -- we need to fight back again.
If this sounds like something you'd want to help stop in its anti-democratic tracks, read my column in the South End News.
Then, call or e-mail your legislators, whose contact info you can find here.
Tell them to demand a big public hearing.
Tell them to talk to Speaker Sal DiMasi and Senate President Therese Murray and ask them to stop this privatization of the government.
Tell them to VOTE NO if this bill comes to a vote!
Don't wait. Contact them NOW. This bill has already been approved by its Committee, and is in the Joint Bonding Committee; it could go out for floor vote any time before the session end July 31, and IT WILL PASS -- if the legislators don't hear from YOU..
Tell them: Vote no on Chapter 40T. It lets profit-seeking developers replace our democratic government and impose a stealth property tax to subsidize thier projects.
A bill (Sen. 146) is being rushed through the state legislature that would let big land-owners/developers petition their municipalities for designation as "Local Improvement Districts" -- "bodies corporate and politic" that could do most things city/town governments can do, but without the accountability, transparency, and state oversight. Each new municipality -- complete with its own seal! -- could issue tax-free bonds, collect property assessments (i.e., taxes) from its neighbors to pay them off, get private and possibly public land taken for its developers by eminent domain, use the taxpayer subsidy to build whatever they define as "infrastructure." This could include parking garages, private shuttle bus systems, sports, arts and recreational (casinos? stadiums? golf courses?) facilities, dedicated highway ramps, and so on.
Yup, a new property tax, this time imposed on the neighbors of big landowners for infrastructure the big guys want, free from the limits of Prop 2 1/2!
Taxation without representation: Long ago, it got Bostonians to take serious action. Last year, public outrage shamed the legislature into backing off. This year -- we need to fight back again.
If this sounds like something you'd want to help stop in its anti-democratic tracks, read my column in the South End News.
Then, call or e-mail your legislators, whose contact info you can find here.
Tell them to demand a big public hearing.
Tell them to talk to Speaker Sal DiMasi and Senate President Therese Murray and ask them to stop this privatization of the government.
Tell them to VOTE NO if this bill comes to a vote!
Don't wait. Contact them NOW. This bill has already been approved by its Committee, and is in the Joint Bonding Committee; it could go out for floor vote any time before the session end July 31, and IT WILL PASS -- if the legislators don't hear from YOU..
Tell them: Vote no on Chapter 40T. It lets profit-seeking developers replace our democratic government and impose a stealth property tax to subsidize thier projects.
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