Riecken Releases Economic Development Plan

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Mayoral candidate Gail Riecken today released her economic development plan.  She offers a number of solutions to fix economic problems, beginning with ordinances that will safeguard taxpayers.

“As Mayor I will create a city that is vital and attract more businesses and residents to live and work here,” said Riecken.  “There are a number of approaches we could use to ease the financial issues the Winnecke administration has put the city in.  I want to offer practical solutions to fix our economic problems, starting with ordinances that would protect the taxpayers’ interests in public spending.”

Check out her full plan at www.gailrieckenformayor.com

Economic Development

We have discussed many of the plans that the Riecken administration has for making the entire City of Evansville a more livable, vital city that will attract more business and residents.  There are a number of approaches to take to easing the financial stress we find ourselves under.  Even Mayor Winnecke, with his continued big spending, big borrowing plans for the taxpayers, has admitted that we are in a “tight” situation, financially speaking.  We believe that our current “financial fix” is not just tight, it is unsustainable, and we have several belt-tightening plans aimed at strengthening the local economy and boosting the tax base.

We are offering a number of practical solutions to our economic problems and will start with ordinances that should be passed in order to safeguard the taxpayers’ interests in public spending.

The Riecken Administration will:

  • Create an ordinance modeled after other cities that creates a preference for local businesses. The ordinance for the city contracts for construction and services where all other factors related to the qualifications of the businesses are equal.
  • Publicize the qualifications and standards used to approve economic development loans and grants.  The policies would be promoted through the Evansville Bond Bank, Evansville Economic Development Commission, Department of Metropolitan Development and Evansville Redevelopment Commission by holding forums for local businesses and entrepreneurs in conjunction with organizations who have a role in economic development or redevelopment for the City of Evansville. All programs and applications with the city would be available on the City’s website.
  • Create an ordinance modeled after other cities that outlines a reasonable vetting process for the investment of City funds in private or public entities.Midland, Michigan has a process in which a committee of relevant experts are engaged for evaluating and determining the worthiness of public investment in a timely fashion that does not interfere with the ability of the economic development agency’s ability to close deals that are important to the future of Evansville.
  • Add the requirement for the approval of tax abatements for any business that the largest job category for any new employer or existing employer workforce expansion be paid a living wage of at least $15.00 an hour.  The unemployment rate has decreased and at the same time, tax collections are decreasing or stagnating. The citizens of Evansville should not take up the slack for a new employer unless the pay for the bulk of its employees is a living wage.
  • Create an Employment Roundtable made up of representatives from agencies involved in both helping residents find jobs and helping them overcome barriers to remaining employed.  There is so much more to stable employment than applying for or accepting a job offer. Many residents of Evansville to gain and keep employment depend on public transportation, GED classes or other job training, reliable child care, affordable housing, rental assistance, utility assistance, emergency car repairs, etc. We must take a holistic approach to our workforce, and help them help themselves to economic independence.
  • Work with the Convention & Visitors Bureau for Evansville to capitalize on what Evansville does well in the services and retail industries.  Many people come from 50-75 miles away for shopping, entertainment, professional services and medical care. We are truly a destination location in part of Indiana, Kentucky and Illinois. We need to do a better job of promoting what a visitor can typically get on any given day.
  • Bring evaluation of compliance with tax abatement agreements back into a City department.  Examples are the Department of Metropolitan Development, the Controller’s office or the Mayor’s office. The organization that cultivates and gains approval for a tax incentive package should not be the same organization that monitors business compliance.
  • Institute a moratorium on tax increment finance spending in the downtown zone until the tax revenue of the area pays its bond obligations.  The current annual bond obligations for the arena, hotel and medical school surpass the property tax revenue taken in by at least $2 million. The Economic Redevelopment Commission should not take on any new short or long term financial obligations until the books for the downtown TIF zone balance. The riverboat revenue that must pay annual bond payments for these projects is sorely needed in public safety and other infrastructure investments.
  • Institute a moratorium on the Riverboat fund not to spend more that 90% in any one year.  The city needs to be protected in any downturn in Riverboat funds.

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26 COMMENTS

  1. Much better. Those are ideas that one can evaluate. I like the vetting idea. Did cringe on the “living wage,” but we do need to target the city’s investment toward good paying jobs not low wage. Actually, I would set the bar higher than $15.

    • So, you and Ms. Riecken are saying we don’t want to attract businesses paying less than $15 an hour?

      • Do we need more? Drive around town. Businesses not paying a living wage have signs up all over the place. Someone who won’t be able to make ends meet once employed has a plethora of opportunities to choose from. The reality is these jobs come because they are largely services that are in demand. We as tax payers shouldn’t have to buy them. When these low wage jobs get abatements, the rest of us pick up the slack.

      • No, she is saying that the taxpayers should not offer incentives to businesses that pay the bulk of their employees less that $15/hr. Plenty of businesses that do not pay that much (restaurants, retail) would be welcomed, but not get any of the taxpayers’ money. You know, places like the “bait and switch” hotel.

        • If elected, Riecken should stop this motel. If we are going to have a downtown mec school, it would seem can do better.

      • No disaffected, I’m saying we use the abatement wisely to attract high wage jobs. We have a skilled manufacturing sector which we a losing. I don’t want us to become call center city.

        But actually, I am against the whole idea of abatements. Let’s not tax any business. The end payer is the consumer with profit added.

  2. Not much new or different here. What is lacking is anything bold that would insure this city’s finances do not further deteriorate. This “plan” is not the type of change citizens are looking for.

    • …and I noticed it did not include any Riecken criticism of the Council’s proposal to solve city budget problems by raising new revenue and the local tax from 1% to 1.25% (a 25% increase in local taxes).
      Pressanykey, I know you’re a fiscal conservative – live w/in your means and cut unaffordable expenses.
      So I know you’re likely against Riecken (or Winnecke) raising it 25%.

      BANDANA? Does Bandana want Riecken to swear off any increase in the local tax rate during all of her terms in office?
      Bandana will not answer. He never answers this question.

    • Did you take note of the moratoriums she proposed? She is looking toward stopping public spending from the Downtown TIF until the debts we already have are paid, and she is looking to begin to build our “rainy day fund” up, rather than continuing to take money from it. On the other hand, you know as well as anyone, that Winnecke’s plan will spend us into bankruptcy.

    • Yes, it is very different from the Winnecke plan to spend us into bankruptcy. Did you notice the word “moratorium”? The idea of not spending every penny we take in and then raiding the rainy day fund is very different. She is not willing to incur more debt for the Downtown TIF until what we already have is paid and she really has a plan to begin to put money back into our rainy day fund.

      • That’s curious.
        Otherwise, you make good points. On Evansville fiscal policy and the budget,
        I still notice NO Riecken advocate is willing to address the elephant in the room,
        the proposal to increase revenue to solve budget problems by increasing
        the local tax rate (currently set at 1%) by 25%, to 1.25%.

        I have asked BANDANA about 50 times. No answer.
        LKB, what about you? Do you agree Riecken should call out Winnecke and his supporters
        on Council who advocate this…and DISAVOW any increases during her term(s) in the local tax rate?

        • I don’t know if a tax increase will be necessary and I doubt Gail does, either. I appreciate the fact that she hasn’t told us to “read my lips” when she doesn’t know what kind of secrets may be hiding in the books Russ keeps juggling. I do know that Gail has a lot more concern for everyday people and their struggles than Winnecke does. He just wants nice restaurants and bars for this elite pals.

  3. Northern Kentucky explicitly forbids giving incentives to any company that pays less than a 20% premium to their local average. The premis behind this is to always use incentives to uplift the wage base as opposed to greasing people to hire locals for the minimum which has been the rule around here.

    I was disappointed to see nothing about an Angel Investment fund. I guess that push vanished along with doing something with the tech transfer agreement with Crane. There doesn’t seem to be any urgency to see entrepreneurs doing things in Evansville.

    If Evansville can’t get out of its own way on entrepreneurship just send them to me. I have a place for them. Just send your best though, I don’t want anyone without ambition, swagger, and an appetite for hard work.

    • I agree that her list is incomplete. My business could benefit from a tech transfer with Crane. I have run a business in Evansville since 1984, and the only thing that keeps me here is the weight of my machines.

    • That idea is a logical one, and I would think it is a goal that Gail would work toward. Let’s face it, she will have a huge job to pull us out of the hole Whiney dug, and I imagine she will bring out more ideas in the future.

    • Great session last night . Things southern Indiana needs to hop on, real time fast.

      3 of 3,030

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  4. My vote and support will be for the candidate who will do an investigation and yell us where 32 millions missing dollars have gone

  5. Whine and moan all you want. gail has already lost the election. She will never be Mayor. And by the way, Winnecke is a lot, a hell of a lot better than the corrupt weinzappfel was.

    • Your comments are getting really old sir or madame. I will be skipping your posts in the future because “if you’ve read one you have read them all.”

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