Tag: STAR Bonds
“Scoop and Score” makes false claim, won’t substantiate rosy economic impact of bringing the Chiefs to Kansas
Much like quarterbacks use the “silent count” in noisy situations near vocal opponents, the organizers of “Scoop and Score” working…
Critics throw flag on billion dollar scheme to lure Chiefs across border
“The rich tradition and history of the Chiefs are beloved across the entire Kansas City region and throughout Kansas. The…
EPC Group demands $11 million more taxpayer money for its project by Wichita baseball stadium
Wichita city leaders are considering a(nother) sweetheart deal that would transfer even more taxpayer money to EPC Real Estate Group…
Kelly administration wants $15 million to bail out failed incentive program
The Kelly administration is asking for approximately $15 million a year to prop up an incentive program that has shown…
Eagle: Wichita park privatization largely a giveaway to developers
Privatizing Wichita’s parks system has largely resulted in giveaways to developers and other private interests rather than Wichita’s residents, according…
Records requests show Commerce Department failing to oversee STAR Bonds
A series of records requests by the Americans For Prosperity Foundation asking for information about STAR Bonds in Kansas shows…
City, Wind Surge hit customers with undisclosed tax & fee
Wichita city leaders are up in arms after the Wichita Eagle reported the owners of the Wind Surge — the…
Commerce can’t – or won’t – substantiate “jobs created” claim
In late November of last year, the Kansas Department of Commerce announced that there had been $2 billion in new…
Framework for Growth: more of what failed to produce growth
With Kansas in its fifth straight decade of economic stagnation, Commerce Secretary David Toland’s Framework for Growth plan looks to…
Controversial Commerce Secretary promoted to lieutenant governor
Gov. Laura Kelly tapped Commerce Secretary David Toland to serve as her lieutenant governor on Monday. Toland replaces Lt. Gov.…
KS Dept. of Revenue shrouds Derby STAR bond project in secrecy
The Sentinel has been requesting sales tax data from the Kansas Department of Revenue (KDOR) to determine the effectiveness of…
What is Kansas Department of Commerce hiding from public scrutiny?
Two requests filed by the Sentinel under the Kansas Open Record Act (KORA) with the Kansas Department of Commerce for…
Audit finds state incentives often aren’t used as intended
Less than 20 percent of funds appropriated for state economic development programs are used the way lawmakers originally intended, according…
T-Bones baseball team for sale, owes at least $550,000 to local government
One week ago the owner of the Kansas City T-Bones baseball team, Adam Elhert, announced he would sell the team…
With little oversight, Commerce approves STAR bonds for competing developments
The Kansas Department of Commerce last week preliminarily approved the use of STAR bonds to finance two Johnson County projects…
Bill would create transparency, accountability for state incentive programs
Kansas lawmakers are likely to adopt legislation that will provide a new level of accountability and transparency to some of…
Bonds, Tax Burdens and Wichita’s New Stadium
The Wichita City Council gave the go-ahead to private development of a new $75 million stadium to house the relocating…
Effectiveness of incentives called into question
Incentives, also called taxpayer-funded subsidies, are ubiquitous in state and local government economic development efforts. The majority of incentives given…
Media: There’s Been a “Bump” Or Three On STAR Bond Highway
Controversial from the beginning, Kansas STAR Bonds have not done much to alleviate the critics’ concerns. As the Topeka Capital…