As the Aurora City Council prepares to vote on a highly questionable real estate subsidy Monday night, I have lent my voice to a robo-call opposing the deal. Citizens for Responsible Aurora Government paid for the recorded message to 67,000 households on Thursday. Here is the text of that message, along with a more detailed statement from the citizens group. ROBO-CALL MESSAGE: This is former Senate President John Andrews. Like you, I’m concerned when government at any level spends tax dollars recklessly and overreaches its proper functions. The Aurora City Council is about to do just that, subsidizing a private real estate development with an urban blight designation on ranch land to the tune of millions of dollars the city doesn’t have. This has been labeled a bad risk by the city’s own consultants. It could be a disaster for taxpayers. Please urge the city council to vote down the Lend Lease Project on March 8. Paid for Citizens for Responsible Aurora Government. Statement by Citizens for Responsible Aurora Government Contact: Greg Golyansky 720.201.8789 or Almaz9713@aol.com
On Monday, March 8th, at 7:30 PM, the Aurora City council will be voting on a measure that would approve a Tax Increment Financing designation for the Lend Lease Horizon Uptown development, in east Aurora.
This vote will decide whether the raw ranch land will be "blighted" under the "urban renewal" state statutes. In addition our group of small government activist is trying to stop the Aurora City Government from subsidizing a private real estate development. If the Aurora Government is allowed to get away with this, then in due time they will be forced to increase taxes on all of the city's residents or face a major economic calamity.
According to the report written by the city’s BBC consultants, the project is not economically viable, risky and is based on overly optimistic assumptions. The new properties, if built, will, therefore, have to be sold/rented at a deep discount, thus producing minimal tax revenue. If you take into consideration the high cost of additional City services that will be required in these new areas, the City of Aurora will be loosing money on this "deal" for decades to come!
We must ask the members of the Aurora City Council how is it that our city administration that claims to be short of money for libraries, police and city parks - does have millions of dollars to subsidize a private company's real estate development.