JOPLIN, Mo. —
I think all of us can agree that Joplin is in an extraordinary time that will take extraordinary measures — and unfortunately an extraordinary amount of money.
Every public entity in Joplin was adversely affected on May 22, 2011 — the city, the schools, the utilities, the hospitals, the road district — the list is endless. As time passes we must face the mounting pressure of how to best recover through the wise use of limited resources.
The tax increment financing district is at the front and center of that discussion right now. If we wait for the area encompassed by the TIF district to redevelop on its own, I am afraid our recovery will be much longer than any of us want it to be. We have had remarkable growth along the edges, but the central sector is noticeably vacant.
Property owners are reluctant to rebuild because of uncertainty. Attracting investors will require incentives to develop the kind of anchor projects that can be the catalysts for recovery. I saw that concept at work firsthand in Waco, Texas, a community that was devastated by a tornado 50 years ago. A few really great key projects transformed a dormant downtown and gave private investors confidence to join in. Waco is becoming exactly the kind of place that Joplin citizens told the Citizens Advisory Recovery Team that they wanted — a vibrant city with amenities that we have never had.
Over these last few weeks, the parties directly affected by the TIF district have been working hard on the details. It’s been a tough assignment to balance the common good while at the same time minimizing the negative effects on individual organizations. At the end of the day, however, I am not worried. I know from the personal experience of working with everyone involved that what is best for Joplin in its entirety comes first.
Our cooperation for the public good has become our hallmark. As the CART vision statement says: “Joplin will set the standard for disaster recovery by demonstrating to America its can-do attitude.” Successfully navigating the TIF will be just another steppingstone along the road to our remarkable recovery.
Jane Cage
Joplin
Opinion
Your View: We can agree
- Opinion
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Our View: Safer schools
Being able to see for ourselves what would have happened to our children had they been standing in the main hall of their schools during the May 22, 2011, tornado had a profound effect on our understanding of safe schools.
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Marilyn Beasley, guest columnist: Claiming responsibility for abuse of power
Over the past few months we’ve witnessed the abuse of power by President Barack Obama and his administration.
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Our View: ‘Why?’ has no answer
Just hours before, there was breakfast and laughter. There were pictures on the walls and memories in every room.
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Our View: Absent from House
We can’t figure out why two Missouri legislators think they should be elected to the U.S. House when it appears they can’t seem to show up to take care of business in the Missouri House.
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Your View: Terrorism is terrorism
In the May 13 issue of The Joplin Globe there was an Associated Press article concerning the New Orleans shooting.
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Your View: Terrible injustice
I see this Jasper County nuisance law as a terrible injustice on the rights of the residents of Jasper County.
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Your View: Should we be outraged?
Were there effusive apologies following the lockdown of Boston as most of the continent indulged vicariously in the ongoing manhunt?
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Phill Brooks, columnist: Missouri Senate did what Founding Fathers had in mind
George Washington once described the Senate as being like a saucer in which you pour coffee or tea.
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Other Views: Conflicts in SEC
Money talks. In the continuing dispute over the all-too-cozy relationship between the people who create and sell financial products and the people who rate their risk, the money says: Shut up and let us do what we want.
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Our View: Fixing failure
Some 1,200 injured workers will finally get the payments they are owed. In its final week in session, Missouri’s General Assembly, through bipartisan efforts, passed a solution to address the insolvency of the state’s Second Injury Fund.
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