If CS is out will Bryan be far behind? Is this a Covid casualty?
Thank you for your overview.Drilltime said:
The HOT fund has about $19M sitting in the bank. In the past it has taken in about $ 6M per year and $ 1.7M of that goes to Experience BCS (my layman's reading of the budget). We can certainly cover the administration of the sporting events with $1.7 M. But the primary failure has not been sports, but failing to attract tax paying business (as opposed to non-taxable university growth). While we foot 2/3 of the bill, Bryan is ending with the companies and tax income.
Good grief. Where to start with this typical CS buffoonery. Maybe, by just showing the cost difference in building fees/permits required to build a new 2,000 SF home in Bryan vs/ CS .... and to ask the question; why does Bryan see value in growth and CS doesn't?Drilltime said:
Impact fees are not a tax or an incremental burden. In the real world we would call them "cost recovery", The city has to pay for the connection costs to start with simply because the city owns and operates that piece of the infrastructure. The city either recovers this or it is giving the developer a freebie at the tax payer's expense. That money reduces the developer's base cost and may or may not be passed on. I think we all know developers do not add up their costs and only charge the buyers that amount. They get the most they can in the current market. Depending on the market dynamics at the time, the tax payer's uncovered cost may all become profit to the developer. Or not. Our governments subsidize many private investors. If you like that, then fine. I would personally prefer to see us subsidize grocery stores so everyone can benefit. What's the difference? they have their purposes, but government subsidy of private investors always distorts markets. Right now the subsidy to buy a new house is hurting the market for 20-30 year old homes that sold be the natural starting point for wntry level families.
Drilltime said:
There's a lot of good information in these posts. I agree that pulling out of EBCS won't help CS at all. My point was that it might be part of a larger shift in mindset among CS - that will help.
CS needs to take control of its future independently of Bryan, establish its own market objectives, and do the real things required to achieve an economically sustainable market identity (which is what Bryan started to do about 20 years ago). It cannot compete in the same space as Bryan, with its low cost land, diverse population and skilled labor pool I agree this alone isn't making Bryan more successful. But they are prerequisites of ran industrial base..
I disagree with the suggestion CS should have made the same decisions as Bryan, or that it would be successful if it had done so. I think CS's natural base is the tech or knowledge industries and it should literally circle the wagons around becoming the "The Knowledge City" - or something like that. CS has professors, researchers, an enormous number of graduate students from all over the world pursuing entrepreneurial ideas, and it's doing very little to build on it. The knowledge industries do not require land and you could put the next 5 years of growth on the property at the failing mall alone. Small business, land developers, neighborhood advocacy groups, and Joe Blow would all get behind that if it came with realistic steps to make it happen and grow the commercial tax base and jobs. But we're not seeing that leadership. And before you start bashing the current council, other interests have been in power for a decade and we didn't see this from them either..
I think this quote says it well, "If one does not know to which port they are sailing, no wind is favourable". That's actually about 2000 years old. CS is squandering a lot of wind.
The question is, where does CS go from here? The shortest path would be for the current Council to just begin the conversation. If not, I hope someone steps up in November to do so. It starts with awareness. .
Firstly, when a CS-friendly 'big fish' comes shopping ... they'll be looking for a tax abatement and incentive from both cities. CS needs to get over their hubris as a "Knowledge City" ... except within the context of a BCS type partnership. CS has no real world advantage over Bryan (geographically or otherwise) as a "natural base for tech or knowledge industry." Get over it.Drilltime said:
The question is, where does CS go from here? The shortest path would be for the current Council to just begin the conversation. If not, I hope someone steps up in November to do so. It starts with awareness. .
meinkee said:
If CS is out will Bryan be far behind? Is this a Covid casualty?
TxFig said:meinkee said:
If CS is out will Bryan be far behind? Is this a Covid casualty?
This is simply life repeating itself. Back when we came to BCS (in 1983), the tourism division was a part of the City of College Station (not a part of the Chamber of Commerce). Then the Chamber was able to merge the functions for both cities.
Seperate
Rejoin
It'll happen again and again.