Uptown Redevelopment Recommending a Strategy

Matt makes reference to Jurassic park by invoking the idea that at one time someone thought 50 Washington street was a good idea. He said, “we don’t want to make the same mistakes …. We want to make new mistakes.” Funny. The room chuckled.

TIghe & Bond studies omit the two parking garages and land acquisition costs.

Stamford and Bridgeport considering TIFF financing … [check into it]

Tax revenues are at a rate that’s less than vacant property.

Tax base currently at 1.3 million and with project 13 million.

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How did I miss this one? Ah, one of those friday press releases perhaps. Governor Rell vetoed the bill that would have made Connecticut leap into the reality based community and account for revenues the way they should be, after they’ve been collected. Instead Rell had this to say:

Governor M. Jodi Rell today vetoed a bill that would have authorized the State Comptroller to prescribe the use of generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP). Current law requires the Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB) to prescribe the use of GAAP.

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Staying true to her commitment to make it easier to preserve open space and facilitate historic preservation, Governor Rell the two bills yesterday. From The Advocate:

he signed legislation, proposed by state Sen. William Nickerson, R-Greenwich, allowing municipalities to abate the taxes on property donated to land trusts, Rell’s office announced yesterday.

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The issue surfaced in 2003 when Interlude Inc., a nonprofit transitional housing and rehabilitation service, sued Danbury over being taxed on newly purchased property.

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The Republicans seem intent on testing the voters of Norwalk to see if Dick Moccia will have coat tails. Joanne Romano, who was the only Republican to win an at large seat in the 2005 election, has decided to run for the town clerk’s position instead of running for the Common Council. It’s an interesting move considering the vote tallies. The average Republican vote was around 6700 in 2005. Moccia and Romano came in at 8259 and 6983 respectively. Ellen Wink who ran for the Town Clerk’s seat in 2005 won 6550 votes, below the Republican baseline, and far below the winner Andy Garfunkel who came in at 8584. For perspective Alex Knopp won only 8083 votes. In a popularity contest, Garfunkel would have won the mayors seat if the highest vote total was used to determine the slot, and wouldn’t that be an interesting way to run elections?

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