Housing, slum clearance and redevelopment authorities were established in the "fifties" to condemn deteriorated properties for the purpose of renewing communities in these declining areas. Later tax incremental financing devices were invented to help fund these operations.
Today community development agencies have been established in suburban communities where slums do not exist, in communities like Shorewood, primarily for the purpose of improving the tax base, completely distorting the primary purpose and the basic reason for these endeavors, community development and community redevelopment.
On one hand, many people in suburban areas argue that the free market must not be interfered with and on the other hand, these community development agencies interject themselves into the free market with monetary incentives and with their authority to condemn properties, condemnation is ordinarily out of the reach of the free market.
I won't argue that suburbs should not be permitted to use these redevelopment agencies for tax base improvement purposes, but these agencies should not completely disregard their original purpose for being, which is that of community development. Community development must be as important in this process as tax base improvement.
If there are no community development attributes in these projects, then there should be no reason for becoming involved or for offering economic or any other incentives not ordinarily found within the function of the free market.
My thinking in this area is based on these principles. Therefore I strongly urge Shorewood to follow the principle of “COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT” in getting involved and in approving these projects. Tax base improvement alone does not justify any of these projects. Each must have a significant community development aspect to it to receive governmental approval.
