The Thompson Boys Ought To Be PO'ed For Sure!

"That's some Catch, that Catch-22."
"Yep, it's the best there is."

Life of Jason is live blogging the city council meeting.

Mostly mundane stuff except for the sewer cap fees.....(I got an estimate from the city for sewers that was almost $8,000 for my MIL's home on west sunshine. She didn't have that kind of money and was on a septic. I didn't know about no caps or loans and I don't recall the city telling me either. But maybe they did. Or maybe my name ain't JQH.)

And then there is the arena. If I were the Thompson Boys I'd be mad as hell. Chiles asked the question....well, here's Jason's take on it:

Councilman Chiles said the land was taken via eminent domain and used for a greater public purpose and asked how this is meeting that goal.
Ms. Smith deferred to an attorney.
The attorney who answered said the purpose for eminent domain during the actual eminent domain process was public use and that once the arena fell through the reason for public use doesn’t even factor into the situation.

Councilman Chiles asked Ms. Smith to address the News-Leader editorial about the process.
Ms. Smith said when she did official requests for proposals she said they asked for best proposals with no anticipation as to the proposals. She said they had it became clear keeping BKD downtown and a hotel to enhance the Expo center and said they were “community priorities.”
(How is an office building and a hotel really a priority for the average Springfield resident? I don’t see where it is. It seems the citizens really lost out on this deal because the average Springfield resident doesn’t get anything from this other than lower debt on the city. Will we get lower taxes out of it? I guess if the hotel actually pays decent wages a very small part of the community gains something.)

Jason, you are quite right, the average Springfield resident lost out on this deal. Especially the ones on septic tanks. Something stinks about this and it probably overflowing septic tanks.

What was this exchange all about?
"Councilman Chiles said the land was taken via eminent domain..." (remember, it used to be the cadillac dealership and the Thompson Boys sued the city and lost), "and used for a greater public purpose...." (Supposed to be for an arena) "and asked how this..." (JQH privately owned hotel)...is meeting that goal."

"Ms. Smith deferred to an attorney." (Meaning I don't want to say anything that can be held against me, I'll let an attorney do the speaking and use his weasel words.)

"The attorney who answered said the purpose for eminent domain during the actual eminent domain process was public use and that once the arena fell through the reason for public use doesn’t even factor into the situation." WHAT? DO-OVERS in City Hall? Gee, this is some highpowered attorney, what's his name? Graham ought to get him.

Wanda Sue, you ain't the only one smelling raw sewage.