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« Defending the Giveaway of Tax Dollars to Nissan | Main | "The gate keeper function is dead" » December 9, 2005Another Secret DealThe Knoxville News Sentinel reports that Blount County officials are refusing to tell the public details of incentives offered to Denso Manufacturing Tennessee for the company's $185 million expansion in Maryville, even though those incentives are funded by tax dollars, until after the Blount County Economic Development Board approves them. Frank Gibson, executive director of the Tennessee Coalition for Open Government, said he knows of no exemption in the state public records law to permit local governments to withhold information on tax or other incentives regarding location or expansion of industry. "The purpose of the records law and the Sunshine law is for the public to know in advance what action is being considered," Gibson said. "It's not supposed to be secret until the business is already done. Through the years there have been exemptions made on industrial recruiting-type records, and the argument was given to protect the state or local government's competitive advantage before a deal was struck. I see nothing in this proposal to protect the information unless the folks who have this information have reason to think the public won't like it."The paper notes that the Denso deal comes just months after the state Legislature approved a massive subsidy for Nissan for moving its headquarters from Los Angeles to the Nashville suburbs, despite being denied information about the true impact and purpose of the legislation. State officials defend the secrecy saying they were in secret negotiations with Nissan and could not reveal the company's identity. That's different from the Denso deal - everyone in Blount County knows its Denso, for one, and Denso has already decided to expand its Blount County operations. Yet the Blount County Industrial Board is secretly preparing to hand Denso cash, and refusing to tell taxpayers what it's gonna cost them. Fred Forster, president and CEO of the Blount Partnership, the county's chamber of commerce organization, said "it would be premature" to tell the taxpayers how much the Denso deal will cost them because the incentives "won't be finalized until the board takes action on the 21st of December." "We are not withholding the information," said Forster, who is withholding the information until Dec. 21. "You will get the information when it's the appropriate time," he said. The appropriate time being after the board cuts the check to Denso and taxpayers' opinions won't matter anymore. Excuse me, but the process stinks. Posted in TN Tax and Budget News
Comments
Perhaps Denso can hold off until the Civic Center is a complete wash and utilize the building on Maryville College campus. We could kill two birds with one stone, allowing DENSO to purchase the building after the Blount County officials figure out that it will never make revenue and their accomplices have made their money from the construction, nor will it bring in any industry other than by allowing an industry to set up shop in it. Posted by: BT at December 10, 2005 12:32 AM"We are not withholding the information," said Forster, who is withholding the information until Dec. 21. "You will get the information when it's the appropriate time," Lovely. They have their local chamber guy speaking for the local government. Posted by: Michael Chaney at December 10, 2005 8:39 AMI say if your government can't be straight with you, then fire em! All the secrecy lately on all levels of government is disgusting. Posted by: Tobin at December 14, 2005 1:17 AMPost a comment
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