You know,it seems a little silly when the newspaper does a big long article....
http://www.rrstar.com/communities/x599207478/Rockfords-TIF-districts-a-long-term-investment...
with such a bias and a lack of depth. The entire story just paints an overall rosy future for Rockford because of the LarryBoy philosophy of "a TIF for everyone"....a little more analysis of TIF theory and purpose...(http://www.ncbg.org/tifs/tifs.htm) would have been responsible journalism....
I'm not gonna sit here and do Mr.Kolkey's job for him....but an original intent in TIF creation is to allow cities to encourage development in specific areas....nowdays,the "developers"get a TIF wherever it suits them,NOT the areas most in need of development.... the willy-nilly "re-development"schemes LarryBoy has encouraged has mortgaged Rockford's ability to provide basic city services. ....
And how can the author/newspaper just accept THIS malarkey....

Quote:

... When combined, the city’s TIF districts are projected to end 2009 with a negative $2.2 million fund balance. That’s money that must be covered by better-performing TIF districts and the city’s common cash pool composed of all district budgets, including the general fund, water fund, sanitation fund and others. ....
Badly performing TIFs are not part of the deficit the city had to close to propose a balanced 2009 budget, Finance Director Andres Sammul said.
....Meanwhile, shortfalls in TIF district fund balances are not expenses charged to the general fund.

Whatta crock!!!Look,ALL things funded by the city have only one source for revenue....TAXES,whether it's sales,property,(the "other") sales...TAXES....and they all go into the city coffers...and if Sammuls feels a NEED to individually label them('this is an infrastructure dollar, over there sits a police dollar,') it doesn't change the reality,over-extended "development funds".


(psst,buddy,wanna buy a TIF?...It's the only game in town)