Initiative for
Development Accountability
Media Advisory
COMIDA Manager questioned on report, April 25
Contact
Jon Greenbaum 880-8731
Community Groups Questions COMIDA’s
Performance
COMIDA Manager Defends Tax Breaks
What: Gates
Chili Chamber of Commerce lunch, Featured Speaker-Judy Seil, Economic
Development Manager for COMIDA. Members of the Initiative for Development
Accountability will be asking Ms. Seil about the report COMIDA Isn’t Spanish for Free
Lunch.
1) Does she support statewide IDA reform?
2) Why does COMIDA subsidize one small business over another (like CPA's, dentists, restaurants, spas, and skating rinks).
3) Has COMIDA ever recouped any money from any of the 63% of subsidized businesses that didn't provide the promised jobs?
4) Why hasn't COMIDA reported sales tax breaks for the years 2003 and 2004?
When: Tues April 25, noon
Where: Gates Fire District #1, 2355 Chili Avenue
Why: COMIDA Isn’t Spanish for Free Lunch shows that in 2002-04 COMIDA gave out tax breaks totaling $24 million but that 64% of the subsidized businesses did not create the jobs that they promised to create. The Initiative for Development Accountability is a statewide organization working to create accountability for IDA tax subsidies. Senator Maziarz has sponsored legislation that would: empower communities to recoup tax subsidies if the promised jobs are not created, require Community Impact Reports that assessed the subsidy on the community (does the subsidy help one business owner steal customers from another business owner?), and would mandate basic standards such as local hiring and prevailing wages (COMIDA currently has a local hiring provision but other IDA’s do not).