5th & Main

[TheArtist]

They reported a 1% increase in sales tax revenue year over year.

Well surely that's enough and all that was expected.  So many folk on here say that slow growth is best.  No need to try and get our city up to having something crazy like say 3%-4% growth.

Listen to this craziness....(DENVER) Denver City Council President Mary Beth Susman today announced the City Council's key 2015 budget priorities for the City. "The Council has called for transit and multi-modal transportation investments as its top priority this year," said Susman. She noted that Council reiterated its commitment to bike and pedestrian safety goals from last year, but broadened the focus to include transit connections, accessible sidewalk ramps,

Now that's a city that is doomed.

[Conan71]

Like it or not, online commerce is here to stay.  That affects local brick and mortar businesses as well as sales tax collections.  There is also the stated problem of suburbs cannibalizing sales tax collections with their shopping developments that did not exist 10 years ago.

The state is being completely ignorant in trying to enforce a "use tax" and expecting people are going to comply and pay any additional sales tax due on those trinkets they bought in Branson or in a duty-free shop at LAX.  E-commerce is hardly new.  You'd think by now the state would have re-jiggered the tax code to a more income or property tax-based rather than consumption-based since it's obvious the feds are never going to buy into a universal consumption tax and distribute it accordingly by state.

[Red Arrow]

Well surely that's enough and all that was expected.  So many folk on here say that slow growth is best.  No need to try and get our city up to having something crazy like say 3%-4% growth.

Listen to this craziness....(DENVER) Denver City Council President Mary Beth Susman today announced the City Council's key 2015 budget priorities for the City. "The Council has called for transit and multi-modal transportation investments as its top priority this year," said Susman. She noted that Council reiterated its commitment to bike and pedestrian safety goals from last year, but broadened the focus to include transit connections, accessible sidewalk ramps,

Now that's a city that is doomed.

Colorado Sales/Use Tax info:
http://www.colorado.gov/cs/Satellite?blobcol=urldata&blobheader=application%2Fpdf&blobkey=id&blobtable=MungoBlobs&blobwhere=1251958948089&ssbinary=true

Oklahoma Sales Tax:
http://www.tax.ok.gov/publicat/copos/copo2Q14.pdf

[saintnicster]

Ban the food trucks and collect some property taxes.

So which Jimmy Johns do you own/manage?  Is it just the downtown one?

[SXSW]

I'm surprised one of the private arts organizations or philanthropies hasn't stepped in, and maybe they will.  I agree though that it's unfortunate that it has to come to that, and I think City Hall is grossly mismanaged.  In Denver's case it is good they are focusing on inner city mass transit as they have instead built a great commuter network while neglecting the needs of the inner city as traffic and congestion has increased. 

Back to 5th & Main, I like this fountain better than the one before especially at night.  This to me is the center of downtown and while busy during the day I wish there were more options open at night.

[swake]

Ban the food trucks and collect some property taxes.

Good for you. That's the modern American way. Minimum wage paying large national chain asking for government regulation to kill small independent local competitors.


Next you should ask for tax kickbacks for being a "job creator".

[Hoss]

Good for you. That's the modern American way. Minimum wage paying large national chain asking for government regulation to kill small independent local competitors.


Next you should ask for tax kickbacks for being a "job creator".

His stand on food trucks is one of the main reasons I"ll NEVER solicit business there.

[AquaMan]

They reported a 1% increase in sales tax revenue year over year.

1% is better than 0. However, the budget was based on 3% iirc. Therefore, 1% sucks.

Who knows what's wrong with Tulsa. Other cities have cannibalizing suburbs. We seem to be stuck with looking for sugar daddies for our lifestyle improvements, arts and humanities.

[SXSW]

We seem to be stuck with looking for sugar daddies for our lifestyle improvements, arts and humanities.

And they have bailed out the city numerous times.  I shudder to think about what this city would look like without GKFF, or the Helmerichs, or Schustermans, etc. 

[Conan71]

Back to 5th & Main, I like this fountain better than the one before especially at night.  This to me is the center of downtown and while busy during the day I wish there were more options open at night.

cannon_fodder was telling me the other night over dinner that some drivers seem to think the fountain is a belly-wash for their car.

[saintnicster]

His stand on food trucks is one of the main reasons I"ll NEVER solicit business there.

That's exactly why I asked which ones he works for.  Probably won't get an answer, though.

[cannon_fodder]

Who knows what's wrong with Tulsa. Other cities have cannibalizing suburbs. We seem to be stuck with looking for sugar daddies for our lifestyle improvements, arts and humanities.

Other cities with cannibalizing suburbs have stopped trying to compete with the suburbs at being suburban and have embraced URBAN environments.  Thus differentiating themselves from the suburbs and attracting different kinds of business, development, and people.  Not only is it a more economical use of land and tax base - but Tulsa will NEVER compete with Owasso for cheap land, generic zoning, and chains.

But why should we want to?

[carltonplace]

Other cities with cannibalizing suburbs have stopped trying to compete with the suburbs at being suburban and have embraced URBAN environments.  Thus differentiating themselves from the suburbs and attracting different kinds of business, development, and people.  Not only is it a more economical use of land and tax base - but Tulsa will NEVER compete with Owasso for cheap land, generic zoning, and chains.

But why should we want to?

That is not the Dewey ideology.

[TheArtist]

Other cities with cannibalizing suburbs have stopped trying to compete with the suburbs at being suburban and have embraced URBAN environments.  Thus differentiating themselves from the suburbs and attracting different kinds of business, development, and people.  Not only is it a more economical use of land and tax base - but Tulsa will NEVER compete with Owasso for cheap land, generic zoning, and chains.

But why should we want to?

Well said.

[davideinstein]

Other cities with cannibalizing suburbs have stopped trying to compete with the suburbs at being suburban and have embraced URBAN environments.  Thus differentiating themselves from the suburbs and attracting different kinds of business, development, and people.  Not only is it a more economical use of land and tax base - but Tulsa will NEVER compete with Owasso for cheap land, generic zoning, and chains.

But why should we want to?

Great post.