Monday, August 6, 2007

Thank you!

I'd like to thank you -

dear readers who have expressed so much support for Hannabelle's blog - the Bradbury Buzzz, and also for the Mille Lacs News (which is continuing to grow and might someday be a 'real' online newspaper covering more than sex offenders and dirty politicians.)

I also need to ask you for some help.

It's concerning Tax Abatement. Although Nexus will most surely be (once again) denied property tax exemption, there is talk that they are working on a Tax Abatement deal where they might be awarded the privilege of operating their business in our town TAX FREE for TEN YEARS!!! (How does that make the other businesses in town - the tax paying ones, feel? Wouldn't YOU like a tax abatement too?)

Now, if you've been reading the Mille Lacs News as well as this blog, (see "Robbing Peter to Pay Paul") you know that Nexus has a talent for getting its own way and manipulating things to its own advantage. And for some incomprehensible reason, the town leaders apparently can't seem to find a use for the $125,000 (thereabouts) money Nexus would pay in property taxes to the city each year. (I don't know about you, but could find lots of uses!)

It looks like our generous city leaders just might grant D'Angelo and company a free pass, regardless of how such a large amount of property tax money (over $300,000 total per year) could not only greatly benefit the city and the county, but LOWER YOUR TAXES!

That just doesn't seem fair.

I know that I'll no doubt be busy doing my homework on this tax abatement issue, but I'd sure appreciate some help with it. (Hannabelle's a-tired.) If any of you dear readers are well-versed in this area of tax abatement or TIF tax stuff (Onamia has recently hired lawyers with TIF specialization... hmmm...) or have some insights on this subject, could you please email information to; info@millelacsnews.com (and we can sort it out over there). Any letters to the editor can remain anonymous (we understand your concerns about risk, knowing how the Onamia Mafia operates....) but information must be accurate and easily verified.

Anyway, I wouldn't ask if it weren't so important. I'm afraid that Jim and Larry are going to try to "slip another one by" us. Har, har.

But this time, we also need to contact our county commissioners, (our representatives!) who, as we know, have been receiving a lot of pressure from Nexus to give them a free ride. Their telephone numbers are available on the Mille Lacs County website, as well as on the contact page of the Mille Lacs News.

Thanks for your help on this urgent matter. If we don't head 'em off at the pass now, it may soon be A Done Deal There's Nothing You Can Do About.

Tell your friends. Nexus doesn't qualify for a free lunch. They are a multi-million dollar corporation with 38 million dollars per year to play with, and over a million dollars in PROFITS just last year. In fact, adding only four more sex offenders could pay their property taxes for a year. (And there's plenty available...)

Remember: They stay, they pay!

Thanks!!!!!
Hannabelle

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

On the sidebar of the blog page you say " we will be neighbors for years and years to come but not one shovelful of dirt has been turned" so what are you so worried about?

Hannabelle said...

Dear Tired of the Whining,

Thank you for your question. Yes, I seriously embrace my whinage now. You can only imagine how the post-shovelage whining might escalate. Woo-oo-ee! Perhaps I'm not the one who should worry, eh? What do you think?

Anonymous said...

Hannabelle I don't understand the anonymous reply. Don't the citizens of Onamia realize what it is going to cost them if MLA/Nexus moves onto curretnly taxed property and then is granted exemption from over $300,000 worth of taxes. As a business owner who pays taxes I'd be mad as hell. As a local property owner I'd wonder what's going on. And why should I pay more for a new school referendum when apparently we don't need this money that would come from a taxed Nexus. Nexus send more money out of the county in payroll than is spent her. The people who make the big bucks at Nexus don't live here and don't plan to move here at anytime new facility or not. We had an opportunity to keep a locally owned company here but did virually nothing to keep Heggies here. The now are moving to Milaca with tax abatement and promising to add jobs. Now woulnd't that have been a great thing to keep in Onamia?

Hannabelle said...

Hi,

Thank you for your comment! I don't know why anybody would be supportive of a big company like Nexus getting out of paying so much money in property taxes - unless maybe they're stupid, or receiving personal benefits (gas and groceries...) or kick backs... Who knows? It just doesn't make sense, (which of course, piques my curiosity all the more.)

But YOU make sense with your excellent points. I hope that people will listen and pay attention to what you say. Of course, I agree with you 100%.
Its great to hear from a thinking person! :) Keep talking, keep writing. We need more folks like you!

Thanks again,
Hannabelle