I have met Oley Carp and he seems like a very nice man. In all seriousness, why do we need a group called "Choose Worcester"? Isn't that the goal of the Chamber of Commerce-to keep current businesses and get prospective businesses to Cboose Worcester. In fact if I was a prospective business deciding where I was going to put my business and the prospective City/Town had to establish an entity to convine to "Choose" them, it would worry me.
Reading the story, I got to admit that I was kind of amazed that Pharmasphere was mentioned. The company that won the SWIP bid for $1 in January of 2008 that was suppose to start building that Spring, has not only not started to build but has not even taken title to the property or shovels their walks.
Mr Carp asserts, however, Choose Worcester
- "been involved with eight companies that moved to Worcester or decided to to stay in Worcester, leading to the creation of 450 jobs and about $40 million of capital investment."
- Choose Worcester also launched a website that got its 5 millionth hit.
Again Mr Carp seems like a very nice guy, but can we get some details on the 450 jobs and the $40 million of capital investment. And 5 million hits!!! Lets just say the website has been up for 4 years, that 1.245 million hits per year or approximately 100,000 hits per month or over 3,300 hits per day.
Choose Worcester was a nice idea but the only way we really get businessesses to Choose Worcester lets come up with some concrete reasons like:
- locking in assessed values for commercial development in targeted areas for 10 years
- waive permitting fees
- waive water and sewer connection fees
4 comments:
Five million hits isn't believable. The site is impervious to being evaluated regarding its traffic, too.
The T&G gets about 35,000 hits per day, according to this outside measurement. But the Choose Worcester site won't let it take a measurement of its traffic.
What's that tell ya?
Mr Carp asserts, however, Choose Worcester:
"been involved with eight companies that moved to Worcester or decided to to stay in Worcester, leading to the creation of 450 jobs and about $40 million of capital investment."
This is Obama-Speak, i.e. moved to Worc or decided to STAY HERE. Could Walmart have been one of them that moved here?
Evidentally UNUM was not one of THEY GOT TO STAY HERE b/c gettign UNUM to stay here had to have held on to more than 450 jobs (cited by Mr Carp) just by itself?????
What we're not being told is how many companies closed or left Worcester and the number of jobs lost. It's always only one side of the story that these marketing types show. Kind alike my pal from Shrewsbury St of years ago....always telling me what he won at Lincoln or Suffolk.........never telling me what he lost.
Real Estate taxes are key. I did a sign for a car wash in Auburn. The third day he was open the Auburn Chamber was there asking what they could do to help his business. They wanted to help with his grand opening. He also stated that the Chamber was going to the town to lobby to lower Business real estate taxes becuse they don't want to lose businesses. They understand how important small business is.. We are the nuts and bolts of this city. I am talking less then fifteen employees. One thing that is also missed is the fact outside of Worcester you save 25% in vechicle insurance. With four trucks and an increase in $800.00 per building in taxes hurts...
Signman, what is bothering me is that I have not heard a single word out of any local media outlets about what the city council did to the tax rates. Has anyone heard anything anywhere about this.
Specifically:
Res. Rate up 13%..13.50 to 15.15
Com. Rate up 16%..28.72 to 33.28
This rate increase can be laid right at the feet of the city council b/c they are the ones who have the final say (yea or nay) on what the city spends in a year and what the city spends then translates to a higher tax rate.
Taxpayers were absolutely sandbagged by the council that kept the estimated tax payments for AUG & NOV ,2009 superficially low....all b/c Nov 2009 was a coucil election year. It should really be called THE council re-election year.
Theres hope and transparency for ya! Good God there is more transparency in redact-gate..!!!!!!
My payments due Febr & May 2010 are substanially higher in terms of both dollars and actual percentages.
Dare I ask where my award winnning Nick K. is on this topic?
I trust he'll be weighing in very soon.
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