7 years, 1 month ago by Jim Dewey
One program similar to CBD Loan program
As part of his re-election campaign, Quincy Mayor Kyle Moore Thursday introduced a 3 part Neighborhood Revitalization program. The goal of the program is to bring families back to Quincy's Historic neighborhoods.
Moore noted that when properties are neglected - it can be costly for a new owner to buy and restore a home so he proposed the creation of a neighborhood Revitalization Loan Program that would be similar to the city Central Business District Revolving Loan Program. It would include properties between 12th Street and the River from Harrison to Locust. The program would be overseen by a committee and would be funded with seed money provided by the city much as the revolving loan program.
Moore's second proposal would beef up the city's Fix or Flatten program by offering a 3 year property tax rebate to anyone who will take the property off the city's hands and fix it up or build a new structure on a vacant lot. This would need the approval of other taxing districts but Moore said the benefit would be in that as long as the city owns the property, no taxes are being paid at all.
The third program is called the Quincy Landmark Renovation Program and would waive permit fees and give a three year tax rebate for the value of exterior improvements to land-marked property. Moore said there are over 100 such properties in Quincy.
After the announcement, Moore's opponent, 6th Ward Alderman Jeff VanCamp issued the following statement:
"Mayor Moore’s recent proposals follow his typical election season pattern: lift an idea or two from another city, put a bow on it, and call it a program. Usually it involves giving away tax dollars through rebates and other incentives. This highlights a fundamental difference between the Mayor and me. If we really want to revitalize our neighborhoods we don’t need to give tax dollars away first, we need to provide better services to our citizens: address the rising crime rates, take more proactive steps in fighting our increasing drug problem, keep our streets clean and our drinking water safe. When people feel safe in their homes and are treated with respect, they’re more likely to be invested in their neighborhoods without government giveaways. For four years Kyle Moore has watched parts of our city slide into disrepair and become a less safe place to live for ourselves and our children. I intend to reverse that trend."
