WHY WOULD A WELCOMING CITY FURTHER TAX HOSPITALITY?

7/25/2018

Why would a Welcoming city want to increase taxes on it's hospitality industry, especially when we are already seeing so many restaurants close? According to Mayor Kleis, the increase in taxes on our local restaurants and hotels will not effect their business. This statement by the Mayor should concern anyone with a very basic understanding of economics. Taxpayers can still be hit with a heavy price even without a line item showing an expense.

This is not just tourism taxation, this will be a further taxation on the citizens of the city of St. Cloud. Tax money that will now be used to upgrade in part the Riversedge Convention Center, which according to the Mayor must be updated in order to bring in corporate partners to purchase the naming rights. OK, Mr Mayor, where were these potential partners when it was newly renovated a few years ago? Why wasn't the city pursuing these opportunities when they were available? If our leadership missed this opportunity, what other opportunities are they missing? Why should the tax payers vote to give you more money when you have missed prime opportunities to safe guard what we have given you previously?

Are you tired of everyone in public office holding the opinion that more tax money solves everything? At what point do we tell our elected officials "NO!"? No more taxes, no more ignoring your current stewardship duties in order to continue to build more thereby creating more to care for, without caring for what you currently have on your plate?

The naming rights should have been secured years ago, even before the work began. A person with the plans, someone who sings the praises of St. Cloud, an attention seeking happy face fuzzy britches persona, could have gone out to businesses and sold the idea. I am personally not a fan of public private partnerships, but as we have already gone down this road, then how about making it work for the people? It is supposed to be a government of, for and by the people, the founding fathers did not mean for the people to just foot the bill. Plus there is the question of is St Cloud in the position to pay another bill especially when we factor in information like this:
https://247wallst.com/special-report/2018/07/05/the-city-hit-hardest-by-extreme-poverty-in-every-state/

#23 Minnesota: St. Cloud
2010-2016 increase in concentrated poverty: +17.1 ppts (0.0% to 17.1%)
2010-2016 increase in concentrated poverty: +4,313 people (0 to 4,313)
2010-2016 avg. annual GDP growth: +2.5% (Minnesota: +2.0%)
Unemployment: 6.7% (poor neighborhoods) 4.5% (all other)

While in 2010 St. Cloud had no extreme poverty tracts, one neighborhood crossed that threshold over the past several years. The city’s extreme poverty neighborhood is home to 17.1% of the city’s poor population — the highest rate of concentrated poverty in Minnesota and more than twice the state’s concentrated poverty rate of 8.3%.

While individuals in low-income areas tend to have less educational attainment than those in high-income areas, the presence of St. Cloud State University can help explain the smaller achievement gap between the two demographics in the metro area. Some 24.4% of adults in St. Cloud’s extreme poverty neighborhoods have a bachelor’s degree, nearly in line with the 25.1% college attainment rate outside of the city’s extreme poverty neighborhoods.

Tax increases will cause people to go to surrounding cities and will damage our already troubled hospitality industry. Our current leaders need to find another way, and the next time there is an opportunity make the most of it. It is time for the citizens to elect leaders in St. Cloud to do their job, work for the people and act in their best interests, not elect people to run around having fun and being popular. We have work to be done.

The culture of St. Cloud's leadership must be changed to one of servant leadership. We the people employ them. I am Liz Baklaich, and I humbly ask for your vote on August 14th, in Ward #2, to begin to be a part of the change in culture we so desperately need in St. Cloud.

2 Comments

DENISE GARCEAU

10/10/2018 10:50:39 am

Where is the City of St Cloud headed and why we need some new elected officials? At the present time we are headed in the wrong direction from the perspective of many due to many factors such as:

1) The Costco fiasco. Heritage Park was signed off for in a what seems like a possible shady under the table deal. The property was sold for far less than it is worth in fact $1M+ dollars short with the approval of the current Mayor. The property has already been groomed for Costco to start building e.g. removal of trees and the skate park. Yet all the necessary paperwork has not been signed, sealed and delivered. Councilman Hontos is keeping abreast of the situation and is informed at the council meetings that it is soon will be. This situation has been going on for over a month and the issue was revisited by Councilman Hontos on 7/23/18; however, the Mayor had no response this time and it was answered by the city attorney. She said by the end of the week or next week, which is the same answer the mayor gave over a month ago! Would any of you sell your home at far less than its value and fix it up for a proposed buyer before all the necessary paperwork is signed, sealed and delivered? Then we have the issue of the skate park that was housed at Heritage Park. The youngsters in the community are the ones who spearheaded its erection and got the funding. Now it is gone. Will it be replaced and what will it cost? In these days of boredom, energy to spare and nothing to do the skate park was a place for our children to meet, enjoy themselves, and let off steam and in these days when many resort to drugs we need places like the skate park for their good, healthy, entertainment value and it was FREE of cost the kids took the initiative and got the funds to pay for it!! Now are we grateful to our Mayor that it has been destroyed?

2) The proposed multifamily/affordable housing item which is not really affordable to many. St. Cloud is listed as #23 on the city hit by extreme poverty in every state list see https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/realestate/the-city-hit-hardest-by-extreme-poverty-in-every-state/ss-AAzDdMG#image=24. This project was discussed at the council meeting of 7/23/18, item 13, and two of those involved in trying to get funding for this project a Sophia Leike from Kennedy & Graven of Minneapolis and Nick Anderson Vice President and Project Partner of Dominion were present. Again Councilman Hontos had some questions about the benefit to the City of St. Cloud since what the proposed project lacked suffered from total clarity. He requested hard documents be presented and total clarification be made. Councilman Johnson also voiced some concerns. I would opine that it does not benefit the COSC and should have been denied. As we all know COSC is situated in Benton, Sherburne and Stearns County. Sherburne being the most expensive. COSC rents average $600 the low income housing goes for $950?? There are too many variables that were not answered with clarity and it does not appear the COSC would benefit in any way. Check it out at the COCS website..city council-meetings-video -7/23/18 for full information.

3) Why have the streets been allowed to get in such awful conditions? In many parts of the City the large potholes could even be considered dangerous. Why isn't our infrastructure being taken care of don't we have the funds to do so? If so why not? Where are our dollars going? Many people have informed the council of this yet so far not much, if any, action has been taken.

4) Then there is the Refugee Resettlement program which the Mayor and Council refuse to address. A petition is presently being circulated to have this item put on the ballot. St Cloud residents have the right to have some input in this issue which affects us all. Why does this Mayor and council refuse to address the issue, and simply put it on the ballot? It would appear they do not honor the freedom of speech granted to we the people under the Constitution. However, since the city refuses to listen to the voice of the people and give us the chance to vote to YES pause the program until more information is gathered, or NO leave it as it is we have to get a petition to make them do so. Is this democracy? I see it as a dictatorship. The Refugee Resettlement Program is another program that was not brought forward by this City Administration and the Council they just let it be foisted on us. Maybe keeping our streets would be sustainable if this program were scrutinized better. No one seems to know what the dollar amount is...but you can be sure the RRP does have some financial impact on we the taxpayers,

In summation it is disgraceful the way the city is run in what one could call a socialist/dictatorship manner. Folks this is America the land of the free and home home of the brave where we the people count we are not just an item to be pushed around like leaves blowing in the wind.

BETH

10/10/2018 10:53:27 am

This is awesome, God bless you! You have my vote.
I've called myself a political activist, volunteer. I'm not a politician either. You helped me get off the sidelines, go with God as an advocate for students and families as a 742 SB candidate. With God all things are possible, we are not running in vain. MSCGA!

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WHY WOULD A WELCOMING CITY FURTHER TAX HOSPITALITY?

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