More Join Lawsuit To Stop Ballpark Assessment Fees|NewsChannel 8
The City of Tulsa has decided that ANY business in the Downtown Assessment Area is going receive extra benefits from having the new Ballpark near them, so it's only fair that they should all have to pay more taxes for it. A LOT MORE TAXES!
William Tabler of Chromium, a chrome plating business, has seen his assessment go from a couple of hundred dollars, to more than 12 THOUSAND DOLLARS! That's basically like forcing them to make a contribution to the park, and yet receive ZERO benefit. Ballpark attendees are not going to stop in to get a little chrome work done, on the way to the game. SERIOUSLY, where is the "benefit" to Mr. Tabler's business? Why should he have to foot the bill for the rest of the City?
William Tabler's story is not unique. In fact, seventeen other businesses in the Downtown Area, have filed a Class-Action lawsuit against the city over it, claiming the "Assessment Zoning" is unfair. The lawsuit includes an injunction to prevent the collection of the assessments.
If the lawsuit is successful, there is still enough money to build the Ballpark, but the other developments slated to be built on property surrounding the Ballpark, will have to be funded in another way.
Let me say that again...
If the lawsuit is successful, there is still enough money to build the Ballpark, but the other developments slated to be built on property surrounding the Ballpark, will have to be funded in another way.
So, the assessment isn't REALLY for the Ballpark? It's to pay for the development of new businesses, and improvement on privately owned properties?!?! Stop me if I'm wrong here, but doesn't that strike anyone else as WRONG? Why are our tax dollars going to fund someone else's business? I'd like to know who the business owners are, that are benefiting from this, wouldn't you?
This seems really fishy to me.
What I do know, is this. If I want to build a building for my business, not only will I not get it paid for by the City, but they will make me jump through 9 kinds of red tape, and pay exorbitant "zoning fees". So, why is the City, which is already several million dollars in the red, using tax dollars to pay for improvements for private businesses? The City Budget had to be cut in numerous areas this year, and we still don't have the 200 more cops on the street that were promised, but Tulsa can afford a new 86 million dollar City Hall
building, a 178 million dollar Duct Tape Arena (BOK Center
), and another 60 million dollars to build a new Ballpark, and develop the area around it?
Someone is making a LOT OF MONEY at the expense of the City of Tulsa, and the taxpayers. Don't be surprised when the final investigation turns up fraud and corruption on the level of Chicago and New York organized crime.
Mark my words.
