History of the MEDC/RRC and its almost failure. Report #1 of 2
We hope you can get through this lengthy article; https://www.mackinac.org/S2009-06#executive-summary
2009 MEDC and it’s failures and costs to the State coffers – the entire project could have been axed. Instead in 2012 it was resurrected/reformed into all the entities we know today that are involved in our freedoms to speak/converse at City Council meetings, curtailing the ability to be represented where we live and spend leisure time (2nd homeowner discrimination and age-ism at it’s worst; better known as ‘taxation without representation’.) In some folks opinion.
RRC/MEDC forces us into development of our community because we have accepted grants to pay for our State guided review processes. Master Plans, Capital Investment spending Plans, DDA Master spending Plans, and Park and Recreation Master spending Plans. All of these plans become a ‘grandfathered-in’ mentality by City Manager and a pliable City Council.
Traverse City has support from Gov. Whitmer that TIF $$ spending in DDA’s coming from tax money that should be spent for public services may be misappropriation. And TC is trying to eliminate TIF altogether as a means to get a handle on tourism overrun in the greater community.
We need to get out of the MEDC/TIF. Harbor Springs may be next in line for all this confusion? Ie. no more RRC or DDA and recreate a downtown business group responsible for their own attractions to town – that translate into real $$$ for the resort community be it a boat/ferry or an occasional brew-fest, restaurant week, but self determined and self funded.we need to give out TIF money back to Emmet Co and NCMC for affordable housing solutions and college sponsored tuition grants…not ice festivals and tree lights and metal grates @ trees.
The point of the article is the MEDC struggles to create the growth communities needed in 2009 so reinvented itself in 2012 and created the RRC in 2013. TC, less that 10 years on is seeing the troubles of tourist crawling all over the State because of the influences of developing downtowns, rather than the community, and filling Airbnbs, distorting neighbors, removing single family concepts back backyards, all causing huge problems when developing the tourist trade – lower paying jobs – and the housing necessary for both families and affordability once the homes become visitor accommodations – then homelessness- which is huge in TC.
Yes this is complicated.
TIF is called a ‘pig trough’ by many in TC causing more community problems than the development of a business economy it once promised.