ESCO Group Wins Marion TIF for Headquarters Growth
The ESCO Group won a Marion TIF package to build its corporate HQ on Tower Terrace Road. Marion grants $200,000 plus a 60 percent annual property tax rebate through 2022, with total rebates capped at $1 million. The $5.8 million expansion adds 25 technical jobs, raises assessed value from 4,000 to about 130,000 annually in property taxes, and bolsters the local tax base and economic activity.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Esco Group
Marion
Tower Terrace Road
ESCO
TIF
TIF in Iowa spurs growth across Cedar Rapids Corridor
Marion Economic Development official Chad Heiman touts TIF as a win win tool that expands the tax base and improves quality of life while noting corridor wide fair play agreements among Cedar Rapids metro communities. He cites 1985 onward research by Iowa State economist David Swenson and a 2012 report.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Iowa State University
David Swenson
Iowa
Tinyurl.com
ESCO
Ray Brown
Marion
Cedar Rapids
TIF criticism: unfair to competitors and taxpayers
Nicholas Johnson argues TIFs distort markets, raise tax complexity, reduce transparency, and often fail to deliver promised jobs. He questions past records, urges scrutiny, and calls for ending subsidies or privatizing profits while demanding public disclosure.
Influential Backers Back Cedar Crossing Casino Bid
Des Moines figures Jim Downie Bill Knapp and Steve Gray back Cedar Crossing in Cedar Rapids. Branstad allies Cownie Smith and others have donated substantial sums to the governor while casino investors push for a license amid potential tax and economic impacts on Riverside Waterloo.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Jim Downie
Branstad
Bill Knapp
Des Moines
Cownie
Smith
Knapp
Iowa
Steve Gray
Wisconsin
Scott Walker
Gray
Cedar Crossing
Cedar Rapids
Drew Skogman
Clark McLeod
Diamond V Mills
John Bloomhall
McLeod
Bloomhall
Downie
Commission
Linn County
Des Moines Register
Chet Culver
Riverside Golf Course
The
Isle Casino
Waterloo
Riverside
Waddington Gaining Perspective on Life and Politics
This first column reflects on gaining perspective through reading, career detours, and diverse experiences. The writer invites readers to share the journey as they explore politics, culture, and daily life with honesty about ups and downs.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
America
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Liz Martin
the Gazette
Third St
Chad Heiman
Marion Economic Development Company
Chad
Medcoiowa.org
Tifs
Pacific Ocean
Maytag
Washington, D.C
Nicholas Johnson
Iowa City
FCC
University of Iowa College of Law
Nicholasjohnson
Gazette
von Maur
Iowa River Landing
Coralville
Dorman
Backers
Todd
Thegazette
Waddington
Lynda
Lyndalowa
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