Here's what Elsa of 'Frozen' would say about residential TIF: 'Let it go!'

Deputy Finance Director Mark Sullivan during his presentation on Tuesday. (Screenshot)

We certainly hope no one on Rochester City Council was cowed by the breathlessly boring and pedantic powerpoint presentation put on by Deputy Finance Director Mark Sullivan on Tuesday.
Nothing against Sullivan; it's not easy explaining something as complex as a TIF, but it is also simply anti-intuitive to think that creating a residential TIF district is anything other than subsidizing developers at the expense of city taxpayers, the ones you're supposed to be looking out for to keep taxes down.
You have a special responsibility to the seniors and middle- to low-income wage earners in this regard, as their tax bills will suffer for your misguided largesse if you approve such a TIF.
The whole point of the TIF, the reason it has been used across the country, is mostly to attract businesses, who pay a lot of taxes without burdening the city with as much need for services like schools, police, fire and welfare.
Sullivan's 20-minute soliloquy seeking to ensnare the less aware was painful to watch. The Council chambers cameraperson was keen to keep the camera on Sullivan else it showed councilors eyes glazing over.
We at The Voice watched it twice to see if maybe it would become clearer the second time. We were wrong.
The World Bank notes that a TIF is appropriate "in cases when the absence of prior development interest in a site with otherwise excellent attributes is related to a site-specific impediment, such as contamination of former rail yards. "
This is not the case here. Now that it's been zoned to allow residential, developers should be forced to pay for their own infrastructure as market rate apartments will return a hefty profit.
Localhousingsolutions.com echoes that (TIFs) originated as a vehicle for issuing bonds to fund the redevelopment of blighted areas."
But the Phase 1 Ridge Marketplace is not blighted. I's thriving, with Market Basket booming, often bulging in summer months. And the nearby Walmart is one of the most heavily trafficked Walmarts in New England.
Sullivan's powerpoint sought to convince councilors that however severe the drain on city services is, there's some mystical formula to tame the pain.
Trust us, nothing is free. That's why Turbotax got fined $141 million.
And you think the traffic's bad on Route 11 on a Friday afternoon now?
You ain't seen nothing yet!
Meanwhile, The Ridge Phase II has been a bust.
There was supposed to be a movie theater, bowling alleys and other entertainment venues there some five years ago.
Sullivan's presentation, which came in the wake of concerns expressed by several city councilors regarding a residential TIF, begins at 1:22 of the June 21 City Council workshop. It runs about 15 minutes but you might have to watch it five times to even begin to figure it out.
After you do, you'll realize this is not the time to buy a pig in a poke. Let's not begin using TIFs for residential. Let's not go there.
As Elsa advises in "Frozen," we say, "Let it Go!"

- HT